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Objective: Despite Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) being central to the work of geriatricians, little is known about geriatricians' views on CGA. This study was designed to understand how geriatricians conceptualise and practise CGA, and whether differences exist between groups (more experienced geriatricians vs. less experienced geriatricians and registrars; those practising in rural vs. metropolitan environments; in private vs. public sectors). Methods: An anonymous 90‐item electronic questionnaire was emailed to members of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine. Results: There were 243 respondents (response rate 19%). Respondents stated that core features of CGA were multidimensional assessment (89%), implementation of a management plan (84%), and involvement of a geriatrician (70%). Important features in predicting CGA success were ability to implement health management recommendations (55%), and ease of communication with general practitioners (46%), and with the multidisciplinary team (45%). Functional decline (88%) and frailty (88%) were thought to predict patients likely to benefit from CGA, compared to age (48%) or multimorbidity (19%). Junior consultants and registrars were less likely to prioritise the importance of clinical leadership (10% vs. 30%), and more likely to report the importance of a structured format (17% vs. 7%) to CGA effectiveness. Conclusions: There was some agreement about the core features of CGA and who is likely to benefit, but little agreement on features that predict CGA success. Further research that explores these points of difference would be helpful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Understanding professionals' views and needs can help advance service provision and improve future training opportunities, Therefore, the current study examined the experiences of Australian and New Zealand professionals who have attended fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)-specific training and the impact of this training on their current practices.Methods: A total of 52 health and education professionals from Australia and New Zealand completed an online survey that asked about their training experiences; changes in practice following training; their experiences implementing assessments in their workplace; and, for Australian professionals, their experiences of using the recently released Australian Guide to FASD diagnosis.Results: Respondents described a range of perceived practice changes following training attendance. These included increases in: asking about alcohol use during pregnancy; providing referrals for assessments; providing assessments and consultation with other professionals regarding FASD diagnosis. Qualitative findings also demonstrated themes of increased knowledge, awareness and/or confidence about providing neurodevelopmental assessments and FASD diagnosis following training.Conclusions: This is the first study to document training and practice experiences of Australian and New Zealand professionals in relation to FASD. Overall, training efforts were well received by professionals and were effective in changing professionals' self-reported practice. Future investment in FASD-specific training initiatives and increased resources to enable neurodevelopmental assessments for all complex presentations, including FASD, is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]