[Key points in healthcare of frail elders in the Emergency Department].
Patients older than 65 years are increasingly attended in the Emergency Department (ED). This means that internists working in ED are responsible for improving their geriatric training. The frail elders are the one who have the higher probability to suffer an adverse event. The detection of this profile is very important for making a decision in ED. A possible geriatric emergency model would be the one that screens frailty among all patients older than 65 years old in ED by nurses, and, in those triaged as of high risk, a geriatric assessment must be done by a geriatric trained doctor or nurse. All this information will be helpful for the final location and discharge follow-up plan.
Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Madrid, España. fjjms@hotmail.com
Francisco Javier
FJ
Martín-Sánchez
Cesáreo
C
Fernández Alonso
Pedro
P
Gil Gregorio
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000193:education; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000523:psychology; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000193:education; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010351:Patient Discharge; D019338:Polypharmacy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012924:Social Conditions; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014218:Triage