Responding to the ageing profile of emergency department patients Hill, Keith, Considine, Julie, Smith, Robyn, Gannon, John, Graco, Marnie, Behm, Christine, Weiland, Tracey, Wellington, Peita, McCarthy, Sally and Corrie, Samantha 2009, Responding to the ageing profile of emergency department patients, in Living in an ageing society : shaping tomorrow today : Proceedings of the 2009 New Zealand Association of Gerontology & Age Concern New Zealand Conference, [New Zealand Association of Gerontology], [Wellington, New Zealand]. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title Responding to the ageing profile of emergency department patients Author(s) Hill, Keith Considine, Julie orcid.org/0000-0003-3801-2456 Smith, Robyn Gannon, John Graco, Marnie Behm, Christine Weiland, Tracey Wellington, Peita McCarthy, Sally Corrie, Samantha Conference name New Zealand Association of Gerontology & Age Concern New Zealand Conference (2009 : Wellington, New Zealand) Conference location Wellington, New Zealand Conference dates 7-9 Oct. 2009 Title of proceedings Living in an ageing society : shaping tomorrow today : Proceedings of the 2009 New Zealand Association of Gerontology & Age Concern New Zealand Conference Publication date 2009 Publisher [New Zealand Association of Gerontology] Place of publication [Wellington, New Zealand] Summary Background Older people with acute superimposed on chronic health problems are becoming a core aspect of emergency department (ED) caseload. This project explored the ED experience from the perspective of older patients and their carers. Method A convenience sample of thirty participants was recruited across three participating EDs: tw o metropolitan and one regional. The project utilised two approaches to data collection: 1) an observation approach where a project officer observed participants from the time of ED presentation until discharge, or for up to six hours; and 2) a subsequent interview was conducted with the participant and their carer within a week of the ED presentation. Data from both sources were integrated, and independently thematically analysed by two members of the team. Results Thirty participants aged over 65 were recruited. Their average age was 77.1 (sd=6.7) years, 59% w ere female, and 74% were triage category 1- 3 (indicating moderate/high acuity). Participants spent on average 7 hours 47 minutes in the ED, with 50% discharged home, 43% admitted to general wards or MAPU, and 7% discharged to residential care/hospice. Key themes in the factors influencing the patient experience and examples of quality care were identified, along with opportunities to improve the capacity for EDs to be “older person friendly”, and “person-centred.” Challenges include improving the effectiveness of communication between staff and patients/carers (including issues around people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds), availability of allied health professionals to assist with discharge planning, and a tendency for older people not to seek ED care until the health problem was severe. Patient exemplars highlight key themes. Discussion and implications Results of the project highlight positive aspects of emergency department care for older people and inform targets for improvement strategies. These can be used to drive ongoing improvements in care for older people presenting to EDs. Notes In press. check after Jan 2010. Language eng Field of Research 111003 Clinical Nursing: Secondary (Acute Care) Socio Economic Objective 920210 Nursing HERDC Research category E3 Extract of paper HERDC collection year 2009 Copyright notice ©2009, NZAG Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30020698 Document type: Conference Paper Collections: Faculty of Health School of Nursing and Midwifery Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research Related Links Link Description Connect to conference website Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Thu, 22 Oct 2009, 11:12:51 EST Fri, 23 Oct 2009, 11:08:00 EST Fri, 23 Oct 2009, 11:08:47 EST Fri, 23 Oct 2009, 11:09:32 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009, 11:23:54 EST Fri, 04 Dec 2009, 10:59:32 EST Wed, 06 Oct 2010, 10:40:11 EST Tue, 04 Jun 2013, 12:00:10 EST Mon, 14 Jul 2014, 11:21:18 EST Wed, 06 Aug 2014, 08:47:49 EST Wed, 13 Aug 2014, 13:55:42 EST Fri, 10 Oct 2014, 08:33:50 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 0 times in TR Web of Science Cited 0 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 616 Abstract Views, 0 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Thu, 22 Oct 2009, 11:12:44 EST by Julie Considine