Thanks to Dr Yasmin Sidiki for this presentation.
Key points:
1. supportive care is difficult but not impossible in the ED setting
2. hypoactive delirium can be difficult to diagnose – use a screening tool as described below
Tag: aged care
Delirium
Thanks to Dr David Swetman for his presentation on the delirious patient.
Delirium Presentation
Take home points:
- delirium is under-recognized in ED
- careful attention to supportive care, prior to sedation, is in the patient’s best interests ie. pain relief, hydration, bowel care, regular medications (especially diabetic medications, Parkinsonian medications) and analgesia
- be familiar with the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) and other delirium identification tools which are available via the Western Health intranet
Aged Care Liaison Service: Palliation
Review the discharge process for residential care facility patients requiring palliation via the Aged Care Liaison Service:
Discharge-Flowchart-for-Residents-requiring-palliation-post-ED-presentation
Palliation-medication-selection-for-RACF-patients-in-ED
Aged Care Liaison Service: Antibiotics
Review the discharge process for care facility patients requiring antibiotics via the Aged Care Liaison Service:
ED-Discharge-of-RACF-residents-with-IVAbs
Geriatric medicine in the ED
Thanks to Dr Rajni Joseph for her presentation about aged care in the ED. Review her talk here:
Geriatric-emergency-medicine-handout-1
She has also kindly forwarded this article, from Emergency Medicine Australasia in 2013. The article argues that current ED models of care, for reasons relating to time pressures, departmental design and discontinuity with community and outreach services, are suboptimally equipped to manage the aging population.
ArendtsLowthianDemog-is-destiny_EMA-June2013-1