Four groups — the American College of Emergency Physicians, American Geriatrics Society, Emergency Nurses Association, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine — have collaborated to develop new guidelines for care of geriatric patients in the emergency room. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, there were nearly 20 million ER visits in 2009-10 by persons aged 65 and over, a rate of 511 visits per 1000 persons.
The guidelines address emergency department staffing and administration, follow-up and transition care, education, quality improvement, equipment and supplies, and policies, procedures and protocols [including sample documents].
Sources:
Geriatric emergency department guidelines. American College of Emergency Physicians, 2013-2014. http://www.acep.org/workarea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=95365
Albert M and others. Emergency department visits by persons aged 65 and over: United States, 2009-2010. NCHS Data Brief [National Center for Health Statistics], no. 130, Oct. 2013. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db130.htm
Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org
Filed under: Emergency department, Health care quality, Patient care, Posted by Diana Culbertson | Tagged: geriatric care guidelines |
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