What this means
This paper argues that hospitals should build geriatric care into their daily work and leadership. It is an opinion piece that summarizes earlier evidence, not a new test of patients.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.
- Who it was tested in
- Not stated
- Kind of research
- A study
The science
- Original title
- Should the geriatrician host the party? Person-centred hospital care in ageing societies requires placing geriatrics at the centre of care.
- Authors
- Lundgren E, Aasbrenn M, Lindner-Rabl S et al.
- Journal
- Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
- Published
- Oct 15, 2026
- Study type
- Study
- PMID
- 42879823 ↗
Abstract
As populations age, multimorbidity and frailty increasingly characterize hospital admissions, exposing the limits of traditional disease-specific and organ-centred models of care. Older adults with complex care needs face higher risks of hospitalization, readmission, functional decline, and fragmented care pathways, while hospitals remain insufficiently aligned with these realities. Despite strong evidence for the clinical and economic benefits of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and geriatric-led care, geriatrics often remains peripheral to everyday clinical practice and hospital governance. Integrated geriatric models have consistently demonstrated improved outcomes, including fewer complications, reduced institutionalization, shorter lengths of stay, and greater cost-effectiveness. Person-centred hospital care in ageing societies requires placing geriatrics at the centre of care. This includes structurally embedding geriatric principles across clinical pathways, leadership and governance structures, workforce development, and digital systems. Recognizing geriatrics as a supraspecialty is essential for delivering coordinated, sustainable, and future-ready hospital care for older adults living with frailty and multimorbidity.
Lundgren E, Aasbrenn M, Lindner-Rabl S et al. Should the geriatrician host the party? Person-centred hospital care in ageing societies requires placing geriatrics at the centre of care. Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands). 2026. doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2026.105791. PMID: 42879823. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42879823/