Perceived Geriatric Care Gaps and Treatment Inefficiency in a Tertiary Hospital in Albania: A Mixed-Methods Study

Background: Population ageing is accelerating in Albania, yet hospital care remains largely oriented toward acute, disease-specific models. Evidence on hospital-based geriatric care capacity and workforce experience in Albania is limited. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods descriptive cross-sectional study at the University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa” in Tirana. Healthcare professionals involved in the care of older adults completed a structured questionnaire assessing geriatric infrastructure, training, workload, stress, family involvement, and perceived treatment inefficiency. Ordinal logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with perceived inefficiency. Semi-structured interviews explored institutional and experiential barriers. Results: A total of 103 healthcare professionals participated (response rate 85.1%). All respondents reported the absence of a dedicated geriatric ward and geriatrics specialist coverage. Infrastructure and equipment for geriatric care were predominantly rated as low to moderate, while perceived need for specialized geriatric services and staff training was high. Family members were frequently relied upon for medical history collection, and this reliance varied significantly by how problematic family presence was perceived (p = 0.03). In multivariable analysis, higher stress related to geriatric care was independently associated with higher perceived treatment inefficiency (OR ≈ 2.0 per unit increase, p < 0.001), while specialty-related variation remained significant. Conclusions: Hospital geriatric care in Albania is characterized by structural gaps, limited training, and high reliance on informal adaptations, with staff stress strongly associated with perceived inefficiency. These findings highlight the need for structured, age-friendly inpatient models and workforce support to improve care delivery for older adults.