Table 1 SENATOR Trial: Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria

• ≥ 65 years

• Admitted with an acute illness under the care of a specialist other than a geriatrician OR clinical pharmacologist OR palliative care physician OR oncologist OR haematologist

• Consented into the study ≤60 h from time of arrival to the hospital

• Anticipated in hospital stay of > 48 h, in the opinion of the treating physician

• ≥ 3 active (requiring current medication) chronic medical disorders

Exclusion criteria

• Elective hospitalisation

• Patients actively participating in another clinical trial of a medicinal product

• Documented plan for consultation with Geriatric Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology, Palliative Medicine, Clinical Oncology or Haematology specialist services at the time of study recruitment

• Admission directly to an intensive care unit

• Primary acute psychiatric illness (excluding delirium)

• Admission with non-accidental overdose/self-harm

• Patients still under the care and responsibility of Emergency Department Physicians

• Patients considered by the attending clinician to have a life expectancy of < 3 months

• Anticipated immediate transfer to alternative non-participating clinical service/hospital

• Receiving renal dialysis

• Clinical diagnosis of acute liver failure

• Solid organ transplant recipient

• Admitted to hospital > 60 h at time of attempted randomization.