Age and ageing
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to investigate the prevalence and impact of frailty for general surgical patients. ⋯ frailty is associated with adverse post-operative outcomes in general surgery.
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Pragmatic Clinical Trial
Short-stay unit hospitalisation vs. standard care outcomes in older internal medicine patients-a randomised clinical trial.
the effect of hospitalisation in emergency department-based short-stay units (SSUs) has not been studied in older patients. We compared SSU hospitalisation with standard care at an Internal Medicine Department (IMD) in acutely admitted older internal medicine patients. ⋯ mortality at 90 days after admission was not significantly lower in the SSU group, but SSU hospitalisation was associated with a lower risk of adverse events, less functional decline, fewer readmissions and shorter hospital stay.
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Meta Analysis
Persistent pain is a risk factor for frailty: a systematic review and meta-analysis from prospective longitudinal studies.
pain is prevalent in frail older adults; however, the association of pain and frailty has not been evaluated yet by a systematic assessment of prospective longitudinal studies. ⋯ persistent pain was a risk factor for the development of frailty in a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Better understanding of the association between pain and frailty with proper evaluation of potential confounders could allow the development of targeted interventions.
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Observational Study
Drug consumption and futile medication prescribing in the last year of life: an observational study.
the last year of life for many older people is associated with high symptom burden and frequent hospitalizations. Hospital physicians have an opportunity to prioritize essential medications and deprescribe potentially futile medications. ⋯ high levels of medication consumption in the last year of life not only reflect high symptom burden experienced by patients but also continued prescribing of futile medications. Physicians assisted by the STOPPFrail tool can reduce medication burden for older people approaching end of life.
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Comparative Study
Patterns of emergency ambulance use, 2009-13: a comparison of older people living in Residential Aged Care Facilities and the Community.
to examine demand for emergency ambulances by older people. ⋯ these data provide strong evidence of high rates of emergency ambulance use by people aged 65 years and over living in RACF. These results demonstrate a clear relationship between increased rate of ambulance use among this vulnerable group of older Australians and residence, sex, age and season. Overall, absolute demand continues to increase each year adding to strain on health resources. Additional research is needed to elucidate individual characteristics, illness and health system contributors to ambulance use to inform strategies to appropriately reduce demand.