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Referrals to hospital emergency departments from residential aged care facilities: stuck in a time warp
journal contribution
posted on 2013-10-01, 00:00 authored by Beverly O'Connell, Mary Hawkins, Julie ConsidineJulie Considine, Catherine AuThis research aimed to describe the number and type of residents admitted to emergency departments (EDs) over 2 years; and to explore nurses' perceptions of the reasons why residential aged care facility (RACF) residents are referred to EDs. The research objective was addressed in a retrospective exploratory study using data on admissions to EDs from RACFs (N = 3,094) at the participating organisation over a 2-year period, and interview data on seven RACF and four ED nurses' perceptions of the issues involved. Most residents presenting at EDs required urgent medical attention. Major themes identified by RACF and ED nurses included issues related to staff competency, availability of general practitioners, lack of equipment in RACFs, residents and family members requesting referrals, communication difficulties, and poor attitudes towards RACF staff. There is a need to use strategies to detect residents whose conditions are deteriorating and treat them promptly in RACFs.
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Journal
Contemporary nurse : healthcare across the lifespanVolume
45Issue
2Pagination
228 - 233Publisher
eContent ManagementLocation
Maleny, Qld.ISSN
1037-6178eISSN
1839-3535Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2013, eContent ManagementUsage metrics
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