Geriatric Emergency Departments: Emerging Themes and Directions

AbstractPurpose of the ReviewGlobally, emergency departments are recognizing their rapidly growing number of older adult patients and some have responded with care models and associated processes broadly described under the umbrella of geriatric emergency departments (Geriatric EDs). This review seeks to identify emerging themes in the Geriatric ED literature from the period 2018 –2023 to provide a synthesis of concepts and research to assist emergency medicine healthcare professionals and policymakers in improving the delivery of emergency medical care to older patients.Recent FindingsEmerging themes in Geriatric EDs include “calls to action” in the field regarding 1) health system level integration; 2) developing care processes; 3) implementing minimum Geriatric ED standards; and, 4) setting future research agendas. The research is international in scope with contributions from Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Be lgium, and the United States among others. A focus on Geriatric EDs’ financial sustainability as well as the overall efficacy of the care model is apparent. Recent seminal resources in Geriatric EDs include the Geriatric Emergency Department Collaborative, the Geriatric Emergency Care Applied Rese arch Network, and the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation program. Attention to workforce education and specific care process/protocols for screening/assessment, cognitive dysfunction and falls is growing. Overall findings support the effectiveness and ...
Source: Current Geriatrics Reports - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research