geriatric emergency departments at hospitals a trend for 2014
DESCRIPTION
Older adults use emergency department (ED) services more frequently than younger people, and an aging population means that the ED designed solely for elderly patients is one of 10 technology-related trends hospital leaders and others will be thinking about this year. That’s according to the nonprofit ECRI Institute’s 2014 Top 10 Hospital C-Suite Watch List.TRANSCRIPT
Geriatric Emergency Departments at Hospitals a Trend for 2014
Older adults use emergency department (ED) services more frequently than younger people, and an aging population means that the ED designed solely for elderly patients is one of 10 technology-related trends hospital leaders and others will be thinking about this year. That’s according to the
nonprofit ECRI Institute’s 2014 Top 10 Hospital C-Suite Watch List.
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Geriatric Emergency Departments at Hospitals a Trend for 2014
More than 50 elderly-focused EDs have opened in the United States since 2011, the report notes, and another 150 are being planned.
For those working in long-term care, the trend could have implications related to hospital readmissions and the use of LTC facilities.
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Geriatric Emergency Departments at Hospitals a Trend for 2014
Infrastructure/structural redesign of the ED as well as new protocols and care processes, including training ED staff in geriatric patient care, can improve clinical outcomes in older adults and reduce intensive care stays and readmissions.
© 2014 Vendome Group, LLC All rights reserved.
Geriatric Emergency Departments at Hospitals a Trend for 2014
For instance, the 30-day post-ED return rate for seniors (for the same condition) dropped from 20 percent to less than one percent at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, NJ, one year after it opened its geriatric ED in 2009, according to the report.
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Geriatric Emergency Departments at Hospitals a Trend for 2014
EDs for the elderly—separate spaces as well as those carved out of existing EDs—can have:• layouts, nonskid floors, handrails, aisle lighting and bedside
commodes to reduce fall risk; • wider and thicker mattresses and other furniture to prevent
pressure ulcers; • nonflorescent lighting, windows and other aids to help with
orientation; and• noise abatement features to aid communication with
hearing-impaired adults, according to the report.
© 2014 Vendome Group, LLC All rights reserved.
Geriatric Emergency Departments at Hospitals a Trend for 2014
Elderly-focused EDs also can offer services to address challenges faced by seniors spending time in such facilities:• medical complications• functional decline • poor health-related outcomes
© 2014 Vendome Group, LLC All rights reserved.
Geriatric Emergency Departments at Hospitals a Trend for 2014
Such services could include screening for cognitive impairment and delirium as well as a nursing discharge coordinator to improve continuity of care and reduce the risk of a return visit. Care protocols and processes can minimize the use of urethral catheters and other equipment that decrease mobility and increase the risk of infection and delirium.
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