Geriatricians at the front door: The value of early comprehensive geriatric assessment in the emergency department

Autor: J. Wallace, O. Gaillemin, J. Fox, A. Vilches-Moraga, L. Butler, T. Pattison, S. Pradhan, E. Feilding
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: European Geriatric Medicine. 7:383-385
ISSN: 1878-7649
DOI: 10.1016/j.eurger.2016.04.013
Popis: The UK population is ageing with increases in both the median age and the numbers and proportion of older people. Fastest growth has been in those aged 85 years and over with percentages of the total UK population increasing from 1–2% between 1985 and 2010. It is projected that by 2035, this figure will rise to 5% of the total UK population (3.5 million people) [1]. In the last 25 years, numbers of in-patient hospital beds have reduced by a third, while numbers of emergency admissions have increased annually, with older people accounting for the largest increase. Historically, hospitals have coped with this demand by reducing length of stay (LOS) for patients. However, in the over 85s, LOS has plateaued and more recently started to rise [2]. Sixty-five percent of people admitted to hospital are over the age of 65 years, with increasing numbers frail or with a diagnosis of dementia [3]. Multimorbidity, the presence of two or more chronic medical conditions, is more common in older people and is associated with functional decline, decreased quality of life and increased healthcare utilization (including emergency admissions) [4,5]. A R T I C L E I N F O
Databáze: OpenAIRE