The development and evolution of geriatric assessment teams over the past 25 years: a cross-cultural comparison of the US and the UK.

Findings from a literature synthesis and content analysis of the geriatric assessment team literature from the US and the UK over the past 25 years (1974-1999) are presented. Eighty-one geriatric assessment teams identified from the literature are analyzed (52 from the US and 29 from the UK). Geriatric assessment team characteristics are examined including team purpose, team setting, treatment link, team orientation, team composition, team size, and the client group targeted. The results show that teams in both the US and UK primarily have testing treatment effectiveness as their stated purpose, have strong treatment links, and are patient-oriented. Significant differences exist between the US and UK in terms of team setting, team composition, team size, and patients targeted by team. The US teams examined are more likely to operate in inpatient settings, include more disciplines and have more members on the team, and target specific subgroups of older people than those from the UK.