title: Back to basics: importance of nursing interventions in the elderly critical care patient.
abstract: The global population is aging, and with that comes new challenges. Optimal care must be delivered to minimize the time spent in the acute care setting. Avoiding costly complications and focusing on health promotion rather than disease management will be key. Geriatrics is a complex patient population and basic nursing care is essential to prevent unnecessary complications if our health care system is to survive. Our profession is ill prepared to optimally care for this patient population.
authors.affiliation: Center for Learning Innovation and Practice, Baylor Health Care System at Dallas, 2001 Bryan Street, Suite 601, Dallas, TX 75201, USA. Electronic address: Sharon.gunn@baylorhealth.edu.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gunn
authors.affiliation: Critical Care Services, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, USA.
authors.forename: Rita J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Fowler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy; D003422:Critical Care; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics; D006801:Humans
keywords: Chronic conditions; Complexity; Geriatrics; Health care; Nursing