Introduction:

The growth of the elderly population in Portugal is a very important reality. To properly evaluate this population some validated scales are used, which facilitates physicians’ work. However, the authors have the perception that these scales are not often used. Through this analysis, the authors have as objectives those as follows: to evaluate the knowledge of ACeS Oeste Norte physicians’ regarding geriatric scales; to improve the physicians’ knowledge about them and, finally, evaluate if such knowledge actually improved after the application of information disclosure strategies.

Methods:

Pre-experimental study of continuous quality improvement, applied to resident doctors and family doctors of the ACeS Oeste Norte. Pre and post-intervention type, integrating an evaluation and improvement cycle, without a control group.

Results:

Most doctors rarely apply these scales in their clinical practice. After the intervention, we verified that they started to be used more frequently. There was a statistically significant improvement in seven of the nine questions that were placed for the doctors to answer (p<0.05).

Conclusion:

The application of geriatric evaluation scales facilitates decision-making when evaluating our patients. We tried to change some mistakes that might exist in this area of expertise by promoting a continuous quality improvement of our medical care services.

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