Studying the Workflow of the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Program to Improve Clinical Outcomes in Older Adults Undergoing Surgery at the James Cancer Hospital

Conditions

• Breast Carcinoma
• Central Nervous System Neoplasm
• Endocrine Gland Neoplasms
• Malignant Digestive System Neoplasm
• Malignant Female Reproductive System Neoplasm
• Malignant Genitourinary System Neoplasm
• Malignant Head and Neck Neoplasm
• Malignant Nervous System Neoplasm
• Malignant Solid Neoplasm
• Malignant Thoracic Neoplasm
• Skin Neoplasm
• Soft Tissue Neoplasm

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• Serious Illness Conversation Program training — BEHAVIORAL
  Surgeons and advanced practice providers complete Serious Illness Conversation Program training to support elicitation and documentation of goals of care for older adults undergoing oncologic surgery.
• ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification Program Implementation — OTHER
  Implementation of the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification Age-Friendly Level standards across surgical oncology services, supported by tailored implementation strategies informed by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behavior model, Theoretical Domains Framework, and Behavior Change Wheel. Components include goals-of-care documentation workflows, G8 geriatric vulnerability screening, referral pathways for patients with positive screens, age-friendly perioperative care processes, and data surveillance/quality monitoring.

Study Details

This study examines how the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification Program, also called the ACS GSV Program, is implemented at the James Cancer Hospital. The program is designed to improve surgical care for adults age 65 and older by helping care teams identify and address age-related needs before, during, and after surgery. Older adults with cancer may have concerns related to physical function, memory or thinking, medications, social support, and goals of care. If these needs are not recognized, patients may be at higher risk for complications, longer hospital stays, readmission, or discharge to a facility instead of home. The ACS GSV Program includes standards for geriatric surgery leadership, goals-of-care discussions, screening for age-related vulnerabilities, care plans for identified needs, age-friendly perioperative care, and regular review of surgical outcomes. This study will evaluate how well these standards are adopted across surgical oncology services and whether implementation is associated with better outcomes, such as shorter hospital stays, fewer complications, fewer readmissions, and improved discharge outcomes. The results may help improve surgical care workflows for older adults undergoing cancer surgery.

Key Dates

Start date

Jun 15, 2026

Status verified

May 2026

Primary completion

Dec 31, 2027

Completion

Dec 31, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

4,000 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Arms

• Experimental: Group 1 (months 3-6 ACS GSV)
  Participants complete the Serious Illness Conversation Program (SICP) workshop over two months (months 1-2). Participants then implement the ACS GSV program into surgical services over four months (months 3-6) followed by a transition period over 1 month (month 7) and continued maintenance implementation of the ACS GSV program over 9 months (months 8-16).
• Experimental: Group 2 (months 8-11 ACS GSV)
  Participants complete the SICP workshop over two months (months 6-7). Participants then implement the ACS GSV program into surgical services over four months (months 8-11) followed by a transition period over 1 month (month 12) and continued maintenance implementation of the ACS GSV program over 4 months (months 13-16).
• Experimental: Group 3 (months 13-16 ACS GSV)
  Participants complete the SICP workshop over two months (months 11-12). Participants then implement the ACS GSV program into surgical services over four months (months 13-16).

Primary Outcome Measure

Adoption of the Core ACS GSV Care Bundle [ Time Frame: From ACS GSV implementation through study completion, up to 3 years. ]

Central Contacts

• The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
  800-293-5066
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Columbus, OH

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