Functional Assessment of Older Adults in an Emergency Department

The fast paced nature of emergency medicine often precludes assessment of patient functioning which may have significant consequences for geriatric patients including falls, functional decline and/or hospital re-admission. A rehabilitation consultation service to a hospital emergency department was...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of occupational therapy (1939) 2001-04, Vol.68 (2), p.121-129
Main Authors: Lee, Velma, Ross, Brenda, Tracy, Brigeen
Format: Article
Language:eng ; fre
Subjects:
Aged
Aging (Individuals)
Consultation Programs
Departments
Disabled Persons
Emergency Service, Hospital
Female
Functional Behavioral Assessment
Geriatric Assessment
Geriatrics
Health Needs
Health Status
Hospitals
Humans
Interdisciplinary Approach
Male
Older Adults
Patient Admission
Patient Discharge
Patients
Program Development
Public Housing
Rehabilitation
Resistance (Psychology)
Resource Allocation
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Description
Summary:The fast paced nature of emergency medicine often precludes assessment of patient functioning which may have significant consequences for geriatric patients including falls, functional decline and/or hospital re-admission. A rehabilitation consultation service to a hospital emergency department was implemented based on recommendations in the literature that functional assessments and a multidisciplinary approach be used with older adults. A systematic method of targeting and assessing elderly at-risk patients included a safety checklist and a comprehensive functional assessment tool. An observational study of 80 patients receiving functional assessments from rehabilitation professionals is described. Patients with high levels of disability or who lived alone prior to the emergency visit were more likely to be admitted to hospital. This study supports using multidisciplinary efforts and comprehensive functional assessments in emergency departments to guide decision-making about discharge outcome and planning for the health care needs of elderly patients.
ISSN:0008-4174
1911-9828
DOI:10.1177/000841740106800208