Elderly Care
Hospital is a dangerous place for elderly patients. Research has shown that older patients are significantly more likely to suffer adverse events in hospital than younger patients. There are areas that have been well researched, such as medication errors and consequences of prescribing, falls and delirium, but many other hazards that remain poorly recognised and almost accepted as inevitable consequences of hospitalisation. Examples include malnutrition, incontinence, pressure sores and functional decline as well as loss of dignity and ageism.
Elderly patients form a vulnerable group – often frail, with a high incidence of cognitive impairment, multiple co-morbidities, and complex needs. Yet with changing demographics they represent a growing proportion of hospital inpatients. There is a clear imperative to identify the risks facing this population and develop strategies to prevent them occurring.
Project Details
- Case record review of twenty discharges from a Medicine for the Elderly ward
- Development and Assessment of a Safety and Quality Audit Tool for elderly medical inpatients
- Identifying and Reducing Healthcare Risk to Older Patients: a Scoping Exercise.
- What types of adverse events and errors occur in elderly medical inpatients, and how often do they occur? A systematic literature review