Older Adults in the Emergency Department with Frailty

Olga Theou; Samuel Campbell; Michael L Malone; Kenneth Rockwood

doi:10.1016/j.cger.2018.04.003

Older Adults in the Emergency Department with Frailty

Clin Geriatr Med. 2018 Aug;34(3):369-386. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2018.04.003.

Authors

Olga Theou¹, Samuel Campbell², Michael L Malone³, Kenneth Rockwood⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, 5955 Veterans' Memorial Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H2E1, Canada.
² Department of Emergency Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1796 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3A7, Canada.
³ Aurora Health Care and School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, 1020 N 12th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233-1308, USA.
⁴ Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, 5955 Veterans' Memorial Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H2E1, Canada. Electronic address: kenneth.rockwood@dal.ca.

PMID: 30031422
DOI: 10.1016/j.cger.2018.04.003

Abstract

In the emergency department (ED), frailty represents the vulnerability of an individual because of their underlying health status. An older patient can be identified as frail by using a frailty index, the Clinical Frailty Scale, a frailty phenotype, or a screening measure such as the Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR). In the ED, the frail older person should have an interdisciplinary assessment, a thoughtful review of their medications, a screen for other geriatric syndromes, and a care plan that addresses the individual's needs, includes the patient's goals and preferences, and follows the patient beyond the ED.

Keywords: Care plans; Frailty; Screening; Vulnerable older adults.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Emergency Service, Hospital*
Frail Elderly
Frailty* / diagnosis
Frailty* / therapy
Geriatric Assessment / methods*
Humans
Interdisciplinary Communication
Patient Care Management / methods
Risk Assessment / methods*
Vulnerable Populations