Emergency Department Management of Elderly Patients
Persons 65 years and older make up 20% to 40% of Emergency Department (ED) patients in the United States. Nationally, ED visits by elderly patients have increased by more than 34% in the last decade. One of the reasons for this is that many elderly patients are surviving with multiple, complex, chronic health conditions. As a result, elderly patients in the ED are more likely to have complex illness presentations with multiple comorbidities, which presents unique challenges in this vulnerable population. As the ‘boomer’ generation comes of age, the number of older people will continue to grow, as will their need for ED care. The purpose of this course is to review the common geriatric syndromes and other ‘aging’ concerns encountered in the ED as well as the appropriate strategies that ED nurses and other healthcare professionals can utilize to improve outcomes.
Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to describe the:
- Extent and consequences of ED utilization by elderly patients.
- Special needs of elderly patients in the ED.
- Atypical presentation of illness by elderly patients.
- Common geriatric syndromes encountered in the ED.
- Assessment and management of geriatric syndromes.
- Design of the ED for elderly patients.
- Appropriate ED discharge of elderly patients.
Curriculum
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Age-Related Changes
Chapter 3: Atypical Presentations of Illness
Chapter 4: Assessment of Elderly Patients in the ED
Chapter 5: Delirium
Chapter 6: Dementia
Chapter 7: Falls and Syncope
Chapter 8: Frailty
Chapter 9: Polypharmacy
Chapter 10: ED Discharge
Chapter 11: Designing EDs for Elderly Patients
Chapter 12: Course Summary
Chapter 13: References
Chapter 14: Appendix
- Differences Between Delirium and Dementia
- California Bill 241
- Implicit Bias in Healthcare
- What is Implicit Bias?
- Implications of Implicit Bias in Healthcare
- How to Reduce Implicit Bias
Price: $20.00
Contact Hours: 2
Course Author
Rein Tideiksaar
Rein Tideiksaar, PhD, PA-C, or Dr. Rein as he is commonly referred to, is the president of Fall Prevent, LLC, Blackwood, New Jersey, a consulting company that provides educational, legal, and marketing services related to fall prevention in the elderly.
Dr. Tideiksaar is a gerontologist, which is a health care professional who specializes in working with elderly patients, and a geriatric physician's assistant. He has been active in the area of fall prevention for over thirty years.