Tijdschrift voor gerontologie en geriatrie
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Tijdschr Gerontol Geriatr · Feb 2008
[Prediction of functional decline in elderly patients discharged from the accident and emergency department].
The aim of this study is to investigate the predictive validity of 5 screening tools with respect to functional decline in older persons discharged from the Accident & Emergency Department. ⋯ Sensitivity and negative predictive value are the most important parameters for screening tools. Hence, our study suggests that the ISAR instrument is the most appropriate instrument to predict functional decline in ambulatory older persons admitted to the emergency department. The ISAR can easily be integrated in nursing records and can be systematically employed in older persons at the emergency department.
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Tijdschr Gerontol Geriatr · Feb 2008
[Opinions of physicians and nurses regarding the prevention, diagnosis and management of delirium].
To assess the current opinions of physicians and nurses regarding the prevention, diagnosis and management of delirium, survey administration was conducted to 2256 nurses and 982 physicians within the University Hospitals of Leuven (Belgium). Response rate was 26% with 819 respondents (600 nurses; 219 physicians) completing the questionnaire. 72% of the respondents considered delirium as a minor problem or no problem at all. Yet over half of respondents working on a palliative care unit (87%, n=15), traumatological ward (67%, n=18), cardio-thoracic surgery ward (58%, n=20), intensive care unit (55%, n=120) and geriatric ward (55%, n=42) reported it as a serious problem. ⋯ Physical restraints were considered important in the management of delirium by a greater proportion of nurses (49%) than physicians (28%). The severity of the problem is underestimated. While opinions regarding the treatment were quite correct, prevention and early detection of delirium deserve more attention.