Australasian journal on ageing
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Editorial Historical Article
Managing the Australasian Journal on Ageing: a 30-year journey.
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To review the evidence regarding non-transported older people who have fallen in relation to non-transportation rates, outcomes and impact of alternate care pathways. ⋯ Limited but promising evidence shows that appropriate interventions can improve health outcomes of non-transported older people who have fallen. Further studies are needed to explore alternate care pathways and promote more efficient use of health services.
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To quantify the size and scope of the operational burden for a large ambulance service arising from older people who have fallen and to describe this population. ⋯ Falls by older people constitute approximately 5% of all emergency responses, of which one quarter are not transported to emergency department (ED) after paramedic assessment. Increasing the sophistication of ambulance dispatch processes to older people who have fallen, and continuing with the development of new models of care aimed at decreasing unnecessary transports to the EDs, should be a priority when planning ambulance service delivery for older people who have fallen.
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Despite the increasingly ageing population, teaching geriatric medicine at medical schools is a challenge due to the particularities of this subspecialty and the lack of student interest in this subject. ⋯ Implementing an interactive blended system is a beneficial approach to teaching geriatric medicine in medical schools and to motivating medical students' interest in this important medical subspecialty.