Geriatric assessment, a new, multiduciplinary team approach to health
care for older adults, is examined in terms of what happens during the
assessment, how it is interpreted by the providers, the patients and
their families, and how these interpretations may affect the assessmen
t outcomes. Four outpatient geriatric assessment units were studied an
d nineteen of their patients/families observed as they went through th
e assessment. Interviews and observations revealed that although there
was some variation between the units, the core of the geriatric asses
sment remained the same for all. Through case studies of patients and
families, four elements which can affect the operation and efficacy of
geriatric assessment were identified. This study has implications for
the role that process studies can play in the evaluation of geriatric
assessment.