Cost-effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment: systematic review of economic evaluations.

Background Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) can be resource-intensive as its delivery involves multidisciplinary personnel, multidimensional assessment, care planning and follow-up. The aim of this systematic review is to appraise and synthesise evidence on the cost-effectiveness of CGA acro...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Age & Ageing Vol. 55; no. 7; pp. 1 - 12
Main Authors: Yigezu, Amanuel Lulu, Hayes, Christina, Galvin, Rose, Trépel, Dominic
Format: Article
Published: Oxford University Press / USA Jul2026
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=195867358&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 195867358
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00020729
        AGA
      jtl: Age & Ageing
      issn: 00020729
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Jul2026
      vid: 55
      iid: 7
      pid: 622
      pub: Oxford University Press / USA
    artinfo:
      ui:
        195867358
        10.1093/ageing/afag203
      ppf: 1
      ppct: 11
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: Cost-effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment: systematic review of economic evaluations.
      aug:
        au:
          Yigezu, Amanuel Lulu
          Hayes, Christina
          Galvin, Rose
          Trépel, Dominic
        affil:
          School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Leinster, Ireland
          School of Medicine, School of Allied Health, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, Ageing Research Centre, Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
          School of Allied Health, Ageing Research Centre, Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
          School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Leinster, IrelandTrinity College Institute for Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
      su:
        Australia
        Finland
        Indonesia
        Scotland
        Germany
        United States
        United Kingdom
        Netherlands
        Sweden
        Quality-adjusted life years
        Community health services
        Home care services
        Cost effectiveness
        Hospitals
        Old age
        Medical information storage & retrieval systems
        Independent living
        Research funding
        CINAHL database
        Hospital emergency services
        Systematic reviews
        MEDLINE
        Geriatric assessment
      sug:
        subj:
          Quality-adjusted life years
          Community health services
          Home care services
          Cost effectiveness
          Hospitals
          Old age
          Australia
          Finland
          Indonesia
          Scotland
          Germany
          United States
          United Kingdom
          Netherlands
          Sweden
          All Other Outpatient Care Centers
          Other Individual and Family Services
          Other local, municipal and regional public administration
          Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities
          Community health centres
          Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
          Home Health Care Services
          Offices of all other health practitioners
          Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners
          General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
          General (except paediatric) hospitals
          Medical information storage & retrieval systems
          Independent living
          Research funding
          CINAHL database
          Hospital emergency services
          Systematic reviews
          MEDLINE
          Geriatric assessment
      keyword:
        aged
        community
        comprehensive geriatric assessment
        copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society
        copyrightYear:2026
        cost effectiveness
        economic evaluation
        economics
        frailty
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag203
        inLanguage:en
        older people
        performance reporting
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42437530/
        systematic review
        aged
        community
        comprehensive geriatric assessment
        copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society
        copyrightYear:2026
        cost effectiveness
        economic evaluation
        economics
        frailty
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag203
        inLanguage:en
        older people
        performance reporting
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42437530/
        systematic review
      ab: Background Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) can be resource-intensive as its delivery involves multidisciplinary personnel, multidimensional assessment, care planning and follow-up. The aim of this systematic review is to appraise and synthesise evidence on the cost-effectiveness of CGA across settings. Methods Full economic evaluation studies examining CGA were searched across five databases. We included studies involving adults aged ≥65 years who were identified as living with frailty or at risk of adverse outcomes. Two independent reviewers screened studies against eligibility criteria and extracted data using a pretested extraction form. Reporting quality was assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards framework. We reported the results through narrative summaries, tables and figures. Results A total of 4864 studies were identified, of which 17 were included across 7 settings (11 community, 6 hospital). Of 13 cost-utility analysis studies, incremental quality-adjusted life years ranged from −0.06 to 0.54 and incremental costs ranged from €−12 744 to €29 785. The probability CGA was cost-effective ranged from 0% to 98.9% across stated willingness-to-pay thresholds (cost-effective in 5/13, not cost-effective in 7/13, 50% chance in 1/13). Two studies showed that cost-effectiveness can vary by frailty severity and residential status. The resource intensity of CGA varied, ranging from 25% (case management protocol) to 81% (comprehensive assessment). Only five studies accounted for informal caregiver costs. The reporting quality ranged from 38% to 90%. Conclusion The cost-effectiveness of CGA remains uncertain. Variations in resource intensity of CGA, frailty severity, residential status of older adults and setting may explain this heterogeneity. PROSPERO registration no CRD42023492586.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N