A randomized, controlled clinical trial of a geriatric consultation team. Compliance with recommendations

As part of a prospective, randomized, controlled study of the effectiveness of a geriatric consultation team, we examined compliance by the house staff with recommendations made by the team. Recommendations were formulated for 185 patients, aged 75 years or older, who were randomized into intervention (n = 92) and control (n = 93) groups. In the control group, only 27.1% of the actions that would have been recommended by the team were implemented independently by the house staff. Problems commonly neglected included polypharmacy, sensory impairment, confusion, and depression. In the intervention group, overall compliance was 71.7%. Highest compliance occurred for recommendations addressing instability and falls (95.0%) and discharge planning (94.3%). We conclude that a geriatric consultation team contributes substantial additional input into the care of older patients. Furthermore, relatively high compliance can be achieved with recommendations made by a geriatric consultation team, thereby overcoming the first barrier to the establishment of such a service.     

Effect of a geriatric consultation service on management of patients in an acute care hospital.

Elderly patients present particular management challenges. We conducted a randomized clinical trial of the effect of a geriatric consultation service on the management of elderly patients in an acute care hospital. A total of 113 patients aged 75 years or more who met certain criteria were assigned to either receive (57 patients) or not receive (56) care by the service. At the end of their hospital stay the patients were assessed with regard to predetermined outcomes. The patients were followed up for 1 year after discharge to determine death rates and direct health care expenditures. The intervention group showed significantly greater improvement in mental status (p less than 0.01), were receiving fewer medications at discharge (p less than 0.05) and had lower short-term death rates (p less than 0.05) than the control group. A geriatric consultation service can improve the hospital care and health of the elderly.     

老年医学的核心技术——老年综合评估

老年综合评估是老年医学的核心技术,正确掌握和合理应用其技术与方法,对老年病急性期的诊治、急性后期和亚急性期的中期照护、长期照料、临终关怀与社区慢病防控等都具有重要的指导作用和临床应用价值。老年综合评估是现代医学模式在老年医学中的具体应用,它不仅包括一般的医学评估（诊断）,而且还包括对老年人躯体功能、精神心理、社会经济、生活环境和生存质量等方面的评估,尤其在常见老年综合征和老年问题的评估中得到了广泛的应用。通过老年综合评估,可为老年患者制定科学、合理和有效的预防、保健、治疗、康复和护理计划,促进老年患者各种功能状态的改善,从而提高老年患者的生命质量和健康期望寿命。     

Hospital-acquired complications in a randomized controlled clinical trial of a geriatric consultation team

As part of a controlled clinical trial of a geriatric consultation team (GCT), we investigated whether a GCT could affect the incidence of hospital-acquired complications in elderly patients. One hundred eighty-five patients, aged 75 years and older, were randomized into an intervention (N = 92) and a control (N = 93) group. Members of the intervention group received a GCT consultation and were routinely followed up throughout their hospitalization. The incidence of hospital-acquired complications for the entire study population was 38%. The type and rate of hospital-acquired complications in the intervention and control groups were not significantly different. Functional status on admission and admission to the psychiatry service were predictive for the occurrence of a hospital-acquired complication. In a broadly selected population such as this, the intensity of care available through a GCT was unable to reduce the occurrence of hospital-acquired complications. However, since this is only one aspect of a GCT function, and others may be of great importance, such aspects, and more targeted populations, must be evaluated before final conclusions can be reached about GCT efficiency.     

Medical home care services for the housebound elderly.

In our health jurisdiction the proportion of elderly people is more than double the national average, and there is a severe shortage of both home care services and long-term care beds. To help the many elderly housebound people without primary medical care we initiated a medical services home care program. The goals were patient identification, clinical assessment, medical and social stabilization, matching of the housebound patient with a nearby family physician willing and able to provide home care and provision of a backup service to the physician for consultation and help in arranging admission to hospital if necessary. In the program's first 2 years 105 patients were enrolled; the average age was 78.9 years. More than 50% were widowed, single, separated or divorced, over 25% lived alone, and more than 40% had no children living in the city. In almost one-third of the cases there had never been a primary care physician, and in another third the physician refused to do home visits. Before becoming housebound 15% had been seeing only specialists. Each patient had an average of 3.2 active medical problems and was functionally quite dependent. Thirty-five of the patients were surveyed after 1 year: 24 (69%) were still at home, and only 1 (3%) was in a long-term care institution; 83% were satisfied with the care provided, and 79% felt secure that their health needs were being met. One-third of the patients or their families said that it was not easy to reach the physician when necessary. We recommend that programs similar to ours be set up in health jurisdictions with a high proportion of elderly people. To recruit and retain cooperative physicians hospital geriatric services must be willing to provide educational, consultative and administrative support.     

Physicians' Perception of Palliative Care Consultation Service in a Major General Hospital in China

Objective s The in-hosptial palliative care consultation (PCC) is emerging as a routine service in some medical center in China. The current study evaluated how physicians in primary care team and consultation team perceive the PCC service for the purpose of investigating the effectiveness of this consultation model in a general hospital. Methods In-hosptial palliative care consultations have been carried out at Peking Union Medical College Hosptial by a dedicated consultation team, and 37 consultations were completed in 2016. A questionnaire was designed for physicians in terms of its benefits to patients,their family as well as the primary care team. Physicians who applied for consultation in 2016 formally (requested from the department other than the Geriatrics) and informally (by rotating residents and unemployed visiting doctors in geriatric department) were invited to participate in the survey by scanning a two dimentional code on social networking platform. Results There were 103 physicians participated in the survey, including primary care physicians from the department of Internal Medicine (n=8), Gynaecology (n=16) and Surgery (n=13), rotating residents (n=30), visiting doctors (n=16) in Geriatric department, and PCC team members (n=20). 94.0% of the non-PCC physicians agreed that PCC relieved the suffering of patients; 89.2% thought PCC improved the quality of patients’ life; there were 91.6%, 95.2%, 90.4% physicians who felt it relieved the anxiety of patients, of family members and of care providers, respectively. There were 96.4% physicians who felt it could ease the tension in physician-patient relationship; 97.6% felt it lower the risk for medical negligence, and 96.4% of doctors who applied for PPC felt satisfied with PCC service in terms of process and achieving objectives of consultation. More primary-team physician agree “PCC service helps the physicians better understand palliative care” than PCC members (97.6% vs. 80%, P<0.05), while both were interested in learning more on palliative medicine (100% vs. 96.4%, P>0.05). Conclusion Palliative care consultation service in a general hospital is efficacious and acclaimed.The primary care physicians and the PCC members hold positive attitudes to the benefits that the PCC services bring to patients, family members, and physicians themselves. PCC for terminal patients in a general hospital may serve as a good modle for promotion of palliative care in China.     

Comprehensive health care for the elderly

Health care for the elderly in the United States remains fragmentary and noncomprehensive despite concern for the needs of an expanding elderly population and a new emphasis on geriatrics. Model health care programs for the elderly have been few and not generally applicable to central city populations. A model health care program has been designed to offer a continuum of comprehensive, multidisciplinary health care to Milwaukee elderly. An acute care unit for the elderly, rehabilitation-oriented nursing home, outpatient clinic, home care service, outreach clinics, rehabilitation day hospital, Alzheimer's Disease Day Care program, and acute geriatric psychiatric unit have been developed and integrated into one continuum of care. The program serves chiefly the frail elderly, who are demonstrated to be markedly impaired physically, mentally, and socially, requiring the services of multiple professionals to enable the patients to achieve maximum independence. Alternatives to institutionalization are emphasized, and geriatric education and research programs are part of the model program.     

老年病的管理

自从美国Ignatz L.Nascher医生首先提出老年病学的概念(Geriatrics)近一个世纪以来,欧美部分国家老年医学专家的临床和科研工作使老年病学得以不断地完善,迄今已经形成了一门完整的学科。老年病医生的地位得到了确立,老年病服务体系已经形成。老年病学的研究对象是老年患者而非仅仅疾病,研究的重点是老年病的整合管理。老年病治疗的目的不仅是治愈疾病而是对各器官功能的保护和医学康复。循证医学的多项研究均已经证实,采用老年病管理的方式和老年病个案管理、多学科团队协作、老年健康状况评估、老年医学康复、老年病急性照料和长期照料的分层管理,对减少老年人残疾率,降低死亡率,降低住院费用,增加患者和家属的满意度,最终提高老年患者的生活质量和延长健康期望寿命起到了积极作用。     

Introducing geriatric health in medical training in Ajman,United Arab Emirates: A co-curricular approach

Background

Medical students’ knowledge and understanding of the elderly will affect the quality of care to the rising population of older adults which points to a need to identify geriatric health training methods appropriate for the region and curriculum. Therefore the study assessed the effect of a co- curricular introductory workshop on knowledge regarding geriatric health and attitude towards the elderly among fourth year medical students in a medical university

Method

A quasi-experimental before-after study, with control was conducted at Gulf Medical College among 60 medical students from discipline-based curriculum in year IV during May-June 2010 of whom 16 had opted (attendees) to undergo the introductory course, a five day workshop of 10 hours duration. Pre- and post-testing used self-administered questionnaires for demographic variables: age, gender, nationality, close contact with older people; a quiz on old people’s health, and Kogan’s Old People Scale (KOPS) for attitude. The difference in scores on quiz and KOPS were compared for the attendees and 26 non-attendees who participated in both pre and post testing.

Results

The attendees group had 38% male and 62% female participants and the non-attendees group had 21% and 79% respectively. The groups were not significantly different in age, sex, nationality and close contact with the elderly. The scores on the quiz and KOPS showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups before or after the workshop. Almost all the participants evaluated the workshop very positively especially the interaction with healthy elderly and inmates of old people’s home.

Conclusion

A 10-hour introductory co-curricular workshop made no significant change in the knowledge on geriatric health or attitude of fourth year medical students though they reported it as a very enriching experience. A reflective report may have been a better assessment tool and the impact on their clinical practice cannot be predicted.     

北京市失能老人上门医疗服务评估指标体系的构建

目的 为促进北京市社区卫生服务机构为失能老人提供有效的上门医疗服务,构建了北京市失能老人上门医疗服务评估指标体系。 方法 基于对前期查阅的政策文件、文献和成熟的评估工具的研究,初步拟定了评估指标条目池,并设计了专家咨询表。在全国范围内选择在上门医疗服务或老年综合评估领域富有经验的综合医院老年科医生、社区全科医生及社区护士共15名专家,在2019年1—5月通过邮件向专家下发专家咨询表,进行两轮德尔菲法专家咨询,并统计专家的个人信息以及专家权威程度相关指标,建立失能老人上门医疗服务评估指标体系。 结果 两轮咨询下发的专家咨询表均全部回收且全部有效,专家积极系数均为100.0%,15名咨询专家权威程度在0.700~0.942,平均为0.847,达到了可接受的标准。第一轮专家咨询的指标重要性、可行性专家协调系数分别为0.172和0.207(均P<0.001),第二轮分别为0.301和0.314(均P<0.001),专家意见趋于一致,咨询结果可靠。最终构建的失能老人上门医疗服务评估指标体系包括了服务安全、身体一般状况、认知与精神状态、躯体功能、日常生活能力和环境与资源共6项一级指标和28项二级指标。 结论 咨询专家具有很高的积极性,且专家的权威程度较高。两轮咨询后专家对各一、二级指标的评价意见趋于一致,有足够的协调性,本研究构建的失能老人上门医疗服务评估指标体系结果可信。      

Cancer in the elderly patient. Unique aspects of presentation, management and screening.

The high incidence of cancer in the rapidly expanding geriatric population presents a major challenge to the health care field. Since most cancers present and behave similarly in both older and younger persons, similar approaches to management must be considered in both. The elderly, however, are a heterogeneous group with individuals demonstrating varying degrees of comorbidity and physiologic change. Decisions, therefore, should be based on a sound knowledge of geriatric assessment and the factors important for "successful" aging rather than on chronological age alone.     

三甲医院缓和医疗会诊服务实践存在的问题分析

目的 探究三甲医院院内缓和医疗会诊服务在实践过程中遇到的障碍,针对这些困难提出意见和建议,为院内缓和医疗会诊服务的进一步开展提供参考。方法 对北京协和医院17名请求过缓和医疗会诊服务的医护人员进行半结构式访谈,对相关资料进行整理、分析。结果 院内缓和医疗会诊服务开展中的障碍因素包括患者及家属对缓和医疗了解不够深入、医护人员对缓和医疗的认知不够深刻、临床诊疗团队对会诊意见落实不够全面、缓和医疗会诊团队提供服务的精力有限、缓和医疗的开展难以创造所谓的经济效益5个方面。同时,针对院内缓和医疗会诊服务开展过程中的障碍和不足,提出工作改进的建议包括增加患者及其家属对缓和医疗的接受程度、提高医护人员对缓和医疗知识水平、建立会诊团队与医护人员的新型合作模式、增强医院对缓和医疗发展的制度保障和建立健全缓和医疗相关法律政策等。结论 三甲医院院内缓和医疗会诊服务在实践过程中虽然遇到很多困难和障碍,但是医护人员对缓和医疗的需求和期望仍在提高。     

Patients who leave a public hospital emergency department without being seen by a physician. Causes and consequences

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether patients who sought care at a public hospital emergency department and left without being seen by a physician needed immediate medical attention and whether they obtained care after leaving. DESIGN: Follow-up study of patients who left without being seen and of patients who waited to be seen by a physician. SETTING: A public hospital's emergency department in Torrance, Calif. PATIENTS: All patients who registered for care and left without being seen (n = 186) and a 20% random sample of patients who waited until they were seen (n = 211) in a 2-week period during spring 1990. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: At time of presentation: triage nurse urgency assessment, clinical acuity rating, and self-reported health status. At follow-up: hospitalization rates. RESULTS: Patients who left reported that they had waited 6.4 hours before leaving; those who stayed reported a 6.2-hour wait before being seen. There were no differences between those who left and those who stayed in chief complaint, triage nurse assessment, acuity ratings, or self-reported health status. Forty-six percent of those who left were judged to need immediate medical attention, and 29% needed care within 24 to 48 hours. Eleven percent of those who left were hospitalized within the next week, and three patients required emergency surgery. Nine percent of those who waited to be seen were hospitalized. Forty-nine percent of patients who left did not see a physician during the 1-week follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Overcrowding in this public hospital's emergency department restricts access to needed ambulatory medical care for the poor and uninsured.     

Elderly patients after they leave hospital

A follow-up survey was conducted of 125 patients, aged 75 years and over, who had been discharged from a general teaching hospital in western Sydney. Assessments were made of the patients' functional status, living arrangements, reliance on family care and use of health and community services in the three-month period after discharge. Results indicate that immediately after leaving hospital more patients were living with family or friends than were prior to hospitalization and there was a slight increase in the number of patients who were living in nursing homes. However, by three months after discharge, the living arrangements resembled the pattern of arrangements before the hospital admission. At three months after discharge from hospital, 66% of patients were fully independent with regard to basic activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing and eating, but only 34% of men and 17% of women were fully independent in broader activities such as shopping and meal preparation. By this stage, 88% of patients were in daily contact with family carers who were providing for many of their elderly relatives' needs. A consideration of the needs of carers upon admission to hospital of elderly patients and the provision of support services for carers after discharge should become high priorities in comprehensive geriatric care.     

基于“1+1+1”家庭医生签约服务模式的经皮冠状动脉介入治疗术后患者健康管理效果评价研究

背景　心血管疾病是全球死亡的主要原因。经皮冠状动脉介入治疗（PCI）是目前常用的治疗心血管疾病的方法,可以明显降低冠心病死亡率,然而我国PCI治疗后患者随访依从性低,支架内再狭窄与心血管不良事件发生率较高。对PCI术后患者进行针对性的健康管理是减少其发生冠状动脉再狭窄、保护心脏功能、提高生存率并改善生活质量的主要措施。目的　探讨上海市徐汇区“1+1+1”家庭医生签约团队服务模式下冠心病PCI术后患者健康管理效果。方法　选取127例于2016年1-12月首次行PCI术并在社区卫生服务中心进行术后随访患者,随机分为干预组64例和对照组63例。对照组进行常规随访,干预组患者进行“1+1+1”签约,并提供以下签约服务：家庭医生随访进行冠心病防治健康教育、冠心病危险因素干预,专病门诊治疗及开具延伸处方,双向转诊及云平台联合诊疗。随访2年后,依据“国人缺血性心血管病发病危险的评估方法和简易评估工具”,比较两组患者血压、血糖、血脂等危险因素的控制情况及主要不良心血管事件（MACE）的发生情况。结果　两组患者临床基础资料无明显差异。随访2年后干预组血压、血糖、血脂的控制率均高于对照组（P<0.05）;干预组男性患者缺血性心血管病10年发病危险度低于对照组（P<0.05）;干预组患者PCI术后2年内心绞痛发生率低于对照组（P<0.05）,复发性心肌梗死、心功能不全发生率及MACE合计发生率比较,差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。结论　“1+1+1”家庭医生签约团队服务模式下对PCI术后患者进行健康管理,可以更好地控制患者冠心病危险因素,降低心绞痛发生率,降低男性患者缺血性心血管病10年发病危险度。     

基于CiteSpace的老年自我忽视研究可视化分析

目的 分析我国近10年老年自我忽视相关文献,把握该领域研究现状、热点及前沿趋势,以期为后续预防和监测老年自我忽视提供借鉴。方法 检索中国知网、万方数据知识服务平台、维普数据库2012年1月1日至2022年10月31日老年自我忽视相关文献,运用CiteSpace软件分析发文的时间、作者、机构及关键词。结果 共纳入有效文献174篇,年发文量呈波动性上升趋势。该领域研究者及机构间合作欠紧密,研究热点集中在老年自我忽视影响因素的分析、干预措施及对老年生活质量的影响方面。结论 老年人易发生自我忽视,应重点关注高危人群,建立健全社会老年保障机制。开展多层次健康教育,培养专业护理人才,促使护理队伍专业化,以满足老年人的健康需求,提高其生活质量。     

Integration of fuzzy set theory and TOPSIS into HFMEA to improve outpatient service for elderly patients in Taiwan

BackgroundTaiwan became a World Health Organization–defined aging country in 1993, and it is estimated to become an aged country by 2017, surpassing Japan as the fastest aging country in the world. However, healthcare services in Taiwan need a wide range of improvements to cope with the challenges of population aging.MethodsHealthcare failure mode and effects analysis (HFMEA) developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) was used to evaluate the inconvenience of outpatient registration process for elderly patients. Also, fuzzy set theory was used along with technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method in multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) to rank the failure risks in the HFMEA.ResultsThe top three failure modes ranked by the TOPSIS method were “short consultation time,” “possible complications of the checkup or treatment were not told,” and “opinions and feelings of patients and relatives were not respected.” Based on those failure modes, improvements were proposed and results were feedback to hospitals. A random sample of 40 elderly patients was selected for interview at the outpatient department of a tertiary medical center in Taiwan. Thirty-seven out of the 40 elderly patients (92.5%) agreed with the executive expert team. This meant the improvement proposals were effective.ConclusionIn this study, HFMEA was extended to explore the impacts of geriatric outpatient service process failures on elderly patients. Using fuzzy set theory and the TOPSIS method in multiple criteria decision making to rank the severity of the failure modes, the risk assessment of the geriatric outpatient service process was more objective when analyzed with quantitative data.     

Elevated levels of serum creatinine: recommendations for management and referral

BACKGROUND: The potential benefits of earlier referral to a nephrologist of patients with elevated levels of serum creatinine include identifying and treating reversible causes of renal failure, slowing the rate of decline associated with progressive renal insufficiency, managing the coexisting conditions associated with chronic renal failure and facilitating efficient entry into dialysis programs for all patients who might benefit. METHODS: A subcommittee of the Canadian Society of Nephrology, which included representatives from family practice and internal medicine, conducted a MEDLINE search for the period 1966 to 1998 using the key words referral and consultation, dialysis, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, renal replacement therapy and kidney diseases. Where published evidence was lacking, conclusions were reached by consensus. GUIDELINES: Earlier referral to nephrologists of patients with elevated creatinine levels is expected to lead to better health care outcomes and lower costs for both the patients and the health care system. All patients with newly discovered renal insufficiency (as evidenced by serum creatinine elevated to a level above the upper limit of the normal range of that laboratory, adjusted for age and height in children) must undergo investigations to determine the potential reversibility of disease, to evaluate the prognosis and to optimize planning of care. All patients with an established, progressive increase in serum creatinine level should be followed with a nephrologist. Adequate preparation for dialysis or transplantation (or both) requires at least 12 months of relatively frequent contact with a renal care team. Nephrologists should provide consultation in a timely manner for any patient with an elevated serum creatinine level. In addition, they should provide advice about what aspects of the condition require particularly urgent or emergency assessment. SPONSORS: This clinical practice guideline has been endorsed by the Canadian Society of Nephrology and the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Meeting, teleconference and travel expenses of the Referral Guideline Subcommittee were covered by The Momentum Program, a collaboration between Baxter Corp. and Janssen-Ortho Inc. However, the authors are solely responsible for the editorial content of this article.     

Effectiveness of a geriatric day hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is a difference in the quality of life between elderly patients managed in a day hospital and those receiving conventional care. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial; assessment upon entry to study and at 3, 6 and 12 months afterward. SETTING: Geriatrician referral-based secondary care. PATIENTS: A total of 113 consecutively referred elderly patients with deteriorating functional status believed to have rehabilitation potential; 55 were assessed and treated by an interdisciplinary team in a day hospital (treatment group), and 58 were assessed in an inpatient unit or an outpatient clinic or were discharged early with appropriate community services (control group). OUTCOME MEASURES: Barthel Index, Rand Questionnaire, Global Health Question and Geriatric Quality of Life Questionnaire (GQLQ). MAIN RESULTS: Eight study subjects and four control subjects died; the difference was insignificant. Functional status deteriorated over time in the two groups; although the difference was not significant there was less deterioration in the control group. The GQLQ scores indicated no significant difference between the two groups in the ability to perform daily living activities and in the alleviation of symptoms over time but did show a trend favouring the control group. The GQLQ scores did indicate a significant difference in favour of the control group in the effect of treatment on emotions (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: The care received at the day hospital did not improve functional status or quality of life of elderly patients as compared with the otherwise excellent geriatric outpatient care.     

特殊老年患者临终关怀期间的伦理困惑及价值取向

阐述了干部病房老年患者临终关怀期间存在与生命伦理学原则相悖的伦理困惑.通过树立正确的死亡观,使临终关怀伦理取向价值利益最大化;以换位思考的理性举措,使临终患者伦理价值取向权利人性化;用健康知识的灌输使患者家属走出公平伦理价值取向的误区,以帮助患者及其家属理清临终关怀期间伦理价值取向.