A study on the experiences of aged care residents in acute hospitals has taken out an award for its contribution to the scholarship of emergency nursing.
A research team from the Gold Coast Hospital and Griffith University’s Research Centre for Clinical and Community Practice Innovation were awarded the Phillipa Moore prize for their research.
Using data from more than 9,000 presentations to emergency departments, the research compared the health outcomes of people who lived in aged care facilities with older people who lived in the broader community.
They found that aged care residents were more likely to be admitted to hospital, faced longer stays once they were there and were more likely to be re-admitted after they returned home.
Lead author Dr Julia Crilly said the findings have significant implications for nursing practice and new models of care.
“Previous models of emergency department care have been designed for the acutely ill and injured patient, not a medically complicated, slow moving, functionally impaired elderly patient,” she said.
The study concluded that outreach programs from emergency departments to aged care facilities may provide more appropriate care for many residents.
“One new model may be hospital in the nursing home, a model that aims to reduce the frequency of inappropriate transfers to emergency departments and improve continuity of care for aged care facility residents with acute conditions or acute exacerbations of chronic conditions,” Dr Crilly said.
Joining Dr Crilly on the research team were Professor Wendy Chaboyer, Professor Marianne Wallis, Dr Thalib Lukman and Dr David Green.
