At University Hospital Monklands, a district general hospital in Lanarkshire, an ED in-reach pilot was set up to deliver the best possible outcomes for frail older adults by proactively reducing unscheduled admissions, thereby reducing the time they spend in the hospital. Aim To reduce unscheduled admissions for patients with a clinical frailty score (CFS) ≥ 6, admitted to ED between 8am – 3pm, Monday to Friday, by 50%. Method An ED Frailty MDT was formed, comprising of Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE) nurses/ Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP) and Consultant Geriatricians. Patients ≥ 65 years
Introduction Falls are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in frail patients, with visual impairment doubling the risk of falls. NICE advises a multifactorial approach to identify risk factors to be treated, improved and managed. This includes sensory/visual assessment, which is poorly done in practice. The aim is for 50% of relevant patients admitted with fractures following falls to have a vision assessment within 5 days of admission. Methods A modified RCP ‘Look out! Bedside vision check for falls prevention’ aid for healthcare professionals was utilised. Patients excluded were those
Introduction: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the most common fall-related injury among adults 65 and older, despite the high incidence there is a paucity of research to guide management of older adult TBI . Simple passive remote home monitoring systems can be used to unobtrusively track markers of health and function in older adults and enhance clinical decision making in community-based care models, such as ‘hospital at home’. There are few studies to-date examining healthcare practitioners (HCPs) views on this technology. We aimed to explore HCPs insights on how to best develop the
INTRODUCTION Medical graduates should be capable of providing good quality care for older adults who present with multi-morbidity, frailty and challenging long-term conditions, as recommended by the GMC’s “Outcomes for Graduates” guidance. Simulation-based education (SBE) is a recognised modality for replicating experiences to enhance and consolidate learning in a safe environment. We have developed an undergraduate geriatric medicine themed SBE experience, which aims to consolidate learning for core geriatric medicine concepts. METHODS Three geriatric medicine simulation scenarios have been
Introduction: BPPV is a condition characterised by the displacement of the calcium crystals within the vestibular system. Whilst BPPV itself is not life-threatening, symptoms can cause complications and lead to falls, injuries, and in severe cases, head injury. The diagnosis and treatment for BPPV are manoeuvres, which in some patients especially the elderly cannot be performed adequately leading to untreated BPPV. This study aims to assess whether patients are being affected by frailty factors and comorbidities which is hindering their treatment. Methods: This study was part of a prospective
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about its long-term effects, leading to conditions such as "Long COVID." Neurological manifestations, including "Brain Fog" with impaired cognitive function, have been reported, but their relationship with age and memory decline remains unclear. Method: This study aimed to investigate the effects of COVID-19 infection on memory function and explore the relationship between age and memory scores. The research utilized data from the 'COVID-19 Online Rapid Objective Neuro-memory Assessment' (CORONA) study, employing an online survey with a
Frailty is defined as a state of increased vulnerability to poor resolution of homoeostasis after a stressor event, increasing the risk of adverse outcomes (1). The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is a validated infographic tool used to assess frailty in clinical settings (2). It aims to provide a standardised framework for frailty assessment, however determining the CFS is primarily subjective in nature, relying on clinical judgement and observation. NHS Elect have launched a CFS application, helping to improve the objectiveness of the CFS outcome. A quality improvement project performed at