Posters for 2026 Spring Meeting

Introduction: With an ageing population, more people are living with terminal illness, giving opportunities to identify those with predictable shortened life expectancy. The fast-track pathway was developed to speed up funding of care for people expected to die within 12 weeks. Our aim was to investigate the accuracy of doctors’ prediction of death for patients admitted to hospital and referred to the fast-track pathway. Methods: A prospective audit of hospitalised patients who were referred to the fast-track discharge pathway with an expected death within 12 weeks from the date of discharge

Introduction: The most recent national frailty benchmarking audit showed that many discharge letters from our Frailty Ward did not document a clinical frailty score (CFS), advanced care planning (ACP) or functional status. This project aimed to improve documentation of the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) for patients seen by the Frailty Intervention Team (FIT) in Craigavon Area Hospital. Methods A baseline audit of 20 discharge letters from the FIT team was performed, assessing whether core aspects of the CGA were documented. Aspects of the CGA included were: CFS, ACP, cognitive

Introduction: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects around 10% of the Scottish population and is particularly prevalent among older adults. As renal function declines with age, drug clearance decreases, increasing the risk of systemic toxicity. Gabapentin and pregabalin, commonly used for neuropathic pain in older adults, are renally excreted and can accumulate, leading to sedation, confusion, and falls. Appropriate dose adjustment according to creatinine clearance (CrCl) is therefore essential. Despite national guidance from NICE, BNF, and SIGN, dosing errors in renal impairment remain a

Introduction Frailty is a common syndrome characterised by reduced physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to stressors presenting with hallmark features of sarcopenia, fatigue, neurodegeneration and immune dysregulation. This may result in adverse outcomes such as falls, disability and hospitalisation. Although frailty is routinely identified phenotypically, the biological mechanisms underpinning its clinical features are not always integrated into clinical understanding. This poster aims to explore the roles of these pathways in the development of frailty and to illustrate how

This project aimed to educate foundation (FY) doctors regarding post-fall assessments and develop a proforma to enhance documentation, within an acute hospital trust. NICE Quality Standard QS86 for adults aged 65 and over in a care setting states that a fast-track examination (under 30 minutes) should occur for highly vulnerable patients, or those showing signs of serious injury. The National Audit of Inpatient Falls (NAIF) Report 2024 found that 65% of patients who had a fall-related inpatient femoral fracture (IFF) received a fast-track medical review. In our hospital this was only 30%. The

This quality improvement project evaluated the clinical utility of routine vitamin D testing in frail elderly patients admitted to the Acute Surgical Unit. Baseline data demonstrated that the majority of patients had suboptimal vitamin D levels, with significant variability in repeat testing and frequent prescribing errors, particularly confusion between loading and maintenance regimens. Testing rarely altered management, as patients with sufficient levels were typically already on supplementation. In response, an empirical supplementation pathway was developed, removing vitamin D testing from

How can we Improve Multi-factorial Falls Assessments in Patients at Risk using Health Pathways and Other Measures? Background All admitted patients require completion of a multifactorial falls risk assessment (MFRA) within 6 hours; in order to identify at risk patients and implement a care plan to aim to reduce the risk of falling. Hospital Health Pathways have a ‘Falls prevention and risk assessment’ pathway which can be used to perform a multifactorial falls assessment. Objective We planned to evaluate how effectively we perform multifactorial falls assessments on the Older Persons Acute

Introduction: Chronic pain is common and increases with age. It is challenging to treat and opioids are frequently used. However, these come with potentially dangerous side effects. We sought to review the prevalence of these drugs across our Medicine of the Elderly department, our prescribing practice and our communication with primary care regarding them. Method: Between the months of April and May 2025, we reviewed all patient records across the MoE footprint (142 patients) recording presence of opioid, type, whether present on admission, started ourselves, frequency of review, plan and

Introduction Care homes face growing pressures in delivering high-quality, person-centred care. Effective and sustainable training can enable staff to develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to provide this care. This rapid review aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators in implementation of training programmes in care home settings. The findings will inform rollout of a training intervention to improve mealtime care for people living with dementia. Method Methods were informed by Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group guidance. A structured literature search was undertaken

Introduction Reduced visual acuity is a frequent contributing factor to admission to an acute hospital for older people yet there is little attention paid to its importance. Vision assessment is meant to be offered to all adults at risk of falling as per Montero-Odasso et al 2022(1). The NHS funds vision assessments in the community for all adults >65 years of age. Aims This project aims to assess current understanding and uptake of vision assessment in the community for patients admitted to a tertiary hospital, and whether targeted information giving can improve uptake of primary care

Introduction: The demand for lower limb amputation is growing due to factors including rising rates of diabetes and vascular disease as well as an ageing population. Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass and strength associated with ageing, can exacerbate the risk of unfavourable health outcomes and mortality. Consequently, early detection and management of sarcopenia is important in the rehabilitation of older people who have had lower limb amputation. Clinical practice guidelines recommend using grip strength testing to identify probable sarcopenia in high-risk patients during routine care and

Background Demographic change poses global challenges, yet healthcare professionals are often trained within a single, siloed system. Boundary-crossing experiences promote innovative thinking by exposing trainees to different external solutions. We evaluated a shared educational session, now in its second year, for UK and Dutch geriatric/elderly care medicine trainees, aiming to equip future healthcare leaders to meet these challenges. Methods A shared, case-based online teaching session for UK and Dutch trainees included brief talks on their respective healthcare systems, followed by breakout

Introduction Urgent community interventions are disproportionately required by residents of independent or extra care living facilities, a small but high-need population. These settings attract individuals seeking more support than available in own homes; Whilst the need initially is often care related this is frequently driven by underlying medical conditions and the ageing process. Unlike nursing or care homes, extra-care living facilities lack enhanced primary care agreements, leaving rising needs unmet. With healthcare shifting from acute to community settings, addressing this gap is

Introduction Older people presenting to outpatient (OP) clinics require blood pressure (BP) measurement to consider morbidity contributing to falls and long-term cardiovascular risk. However, BP measurements taken in the outpatient setting (OBPs) may not correlate with BP patterns obtained using ambulatory measurements (ABPMs). ABPM is considered a more accurate method of diagnosing hypertension than OBP in the general population. Using OBPs for clinical decision-making in isolation risks either under or over-diagnosis of hypertension. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic test

Introduction: Delivering compassionate, patient-centred care at the end of life requires internal medicine trainees to demonstrate effective communication, ethical decision-making, and multidisciplinary teamwork. Simulation-based education offers a safe, structured environment to practise these skills and reflect on their ethical dimensions. Method : A survey was conducted before and after the simulation session. This survey evaluated the impact of simulation-based training on internal medicine trainees interpersonal, ethical, and collaborative competencies in end-of-life (EOL) care for older

Simulation-Based Training to Enhance Medical trainees Communication, Ethical Reasoning, and Teamwork in End-of-Life Care I Bargaoanu1; A Fletcher1; W Lea2; M Cullen2 York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust Introduction: Delivering compassionate, patient-centred care at the end of life requires internal medicine trainees to demonstrate effective communication, ethical decision-making, and multidisciplinary teamwork. Simulation-based education offers a safe, structured environment to practise these skills and reflect on their ethical dimensions. Method : A survey was conducted

Background Delirium is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome characterised by fluctuating cognition, consciousness, and attention, affecting up to 55% of older inpatients. It is associated with falls, prolonged admission, functional decline, mortality, and long-term cognitive impairment. Environmental factors such as disorientation, sensory deprivation, noise, disrupted sleep, and poor lighting increase delirium risk, particularly among frail or cognitively impaired patients. NICE CG103 recommends orientation aids (clocks, calendars, signage, lighting, and family contact) as key delirium

Introduction Poor sleep in hospitalised older adults has been associated with functional impairment, decreased cognitive functioning and increased mortality risk. There is a paucity of studies objectively measuring the sleep patterns of older adults throughout the course of an acute health event and/or hospitalisation. This study aims to objectively evaluate sleep patterns of hospitalised older adults in an acute geriatric inpatient unit using sheet-shaped body vibrometer (SBV), explore the incidence and clinical characteristics of hospitalised older adults with sleep disturbances, identify

Introduction Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is transforming diabetes care and its access should not depend on age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Updated NICE guidance in 2022 expanded NHS funding to include people with type 2 diabetes mellitus on insulin who meet certain criteria. Emerging evidence indicates that older adults are significantly less likely to be offered CGM. We aimed to systematically review prescribing of CGM in older age groups compared to younger ones. Methods PROSPERO registration: CRD420251104079 Databases: PubMed, Web of Science Inclusion criteria: studies that

Introduction Frailty is associated with adverse surgical outcomes1. Prolonged surgical waiting lists risk progression of frailty in older adults. This study evaluated changes in clinical frailty scale (CFS) over 12 months among individuals remaining on a surgical waiting list and explored whether involvement of a geriatrician led Perioperative care for Older People undergoing Surgery (POPS) team influenced frailty progression. Methods Patients over 65 years of age on a single trust general surgical waiting list were asked to self-report their CFS via a digital platform. Patients with CFS score