Comprehensive geriatric care in hospitals: the role of inpatient geriatric consultation teams
Year: 2015
Type: report
Abstract: As already frequently mentioned, the ageing of our population is foremost good news: it means we all live longer, and live longer in good health.Not surprisingly, also the mean age of patients in hospitals is rising.People aged 75 and older account for almost half of all hospital days on non-geriatric nursing units.Frail older people are preferably admitted on a geriatric nursing unit, that is completely oriented and skilled in the so called 'comprehensive geriatric approach' meaning that besides the medical problems also the physical, psychosocial and functional problems of the patient are taken into account.However, the capacity of such geriatric nursing units is not large enough and it cannot be avoided that, already now and even more in the future, frail older patients stay on general, more organ specific, nursing units as well.Although this may be perfectly appropriate reasoning from the specific problem for which these patients are admitted to the hospital, these frail older persons also need and deserve a comprehensive geriatric approach.Hereto, the Belgian legislator opted since 2007 to create and develop mobile intern geriatric consultation teams.These teams have geriatric expertise and make it available for other professionals working in non-geriatric nursing units.Legislation and a funding system have been put in place to implement these teams.How do we look back upon these teams, almost 10 years after implementation started?Are the planned effects reached?Are there, in the meantime, other (this time carefully tested and evaluated) models emerging?Is the legislation perceived as supportive or rather as restrictive?Wouldn't it be better to tackle the geriatric problem in advance of the hospital stay?All those questions were posed to the KCE by the hospital sector, supported by the Federal Public Service (FPS) Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment.We hope that this KCE study is helpful for the public authorities, hospital administrators/managers and for the healthcare professionals in clinical practice to further develop and improve the care for all frail older persons, tailored to their individual needs no matter where they reside.In this study we could count on enthusiastic support and comments from many experts (Clinicians, managers, policy makers).This support was of utmost importance to us: thanks to all.
Source: Lirias
Language: English
Topic: Frailty in Older Adults
Subfield: Geriatrics and Gerontology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Johns Hopkins University, Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, Vlaamse regering, Institut National d'assurance Maladie-Invalidité, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Universitaire Ziekenhuizen Leuven, KU Leuven
OpenAlex ID: W2463292372