OBJECTIVES: The Research Agenda Setting Process (RASP), part of the American Geriatric Society's (AGS's) project 'Increasing Geriatric Expertise in Surgical and Related Medical Specialties,' was designed to define a research agenda for the geriatrics…
Older patients who present to the emergency department frequently have acute or chronic alterations of their mental status, including their level of consciousness and cognition. Recognizing both acute and chronic changes in cognition are important…
This article reviews the significance of altered mental status in older emergency department patients. Specific diagnoses are discussed, including delirium, stupor and coma, and dementia, with a focus on delirium. Finally, an approach to all older…
Altered mental status is a common chief compliant among older patients in the emergency department (ED). Acute changes in mental status are more concerning and are usually secondary to delirium, stupor, and coma. Although stupor and coma are easily…
Objectives: Screening for cognitive impairment in older emergency department (ED) patients is recommended to ensure quality care. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) may be too long for routine ED use. Briefer alternatives include the Six-Item…
BACKGROUND: Older patients may visit the emergency department (ED) when their illness affects their function. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the function of older ED patients, to assess whether functional decline (FD) had occurred, and to determine whether…
Background: Frailty (defined as weakness, slowness, weight loss, exhaustion, and physical inactivity) is characterized by increased vulnerability to stressors. Frail older patients are at increased risk of Emergency Department (ED) visits,…
Three recently published Institute of Medicine reports, Hospital-Based Emergency Care: At the Breaking Point, Emergency Medical Services: At the Crossroads, and Emergency Care for Children: Growing Pains, examined the current state of emergency care…
Background: Patient satisfaction impacts emergency medicine in multiple ways, including patient-physician rapport, patient compliance with medical recommendations, and individual physician and hospital reimbursement issues. Objective: The objective…
This trial was conducted at 11 EDs to test the effectiveness of distributing fall prevention information to patients 65 years or older. Intervention patients were given 2 brochures and received a reminder call 2 weeks later. All patients were called…
Study objective: The prevalence of pulmonary embolism among patients with syncope is understudied. In accordance with a recent study with an exceptionally high pulmonary embolism prevalence, some advocate evaluating all syncope patients for pulmonary…
OBJECTIVES: Pain related to the gurney is a frequent complaint of older emergency department (ED) patients. The authors hypothesized that these patients may have less pain and higher satisfaction if allowed to sit in a reclining hospital chair.…
STUDY OBJECTIVE: Glucagon is a rapid-acting smooth muscle relaxant with a short half-life. Previous studies suggested glucagon may have bronchodilator effects. We sought to determine whether intravenous glucagon produces clinically important…
Background: Cognitive impairment due to delirium or dementia is common in older emergency department (ED) patients. To prevent errors, emergency physicians (EPs) should use brief, sensitive tests to evaluate older patient's mental status. Prior…
BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment due to delirium or dementia is common in older emergency department (ED) patients. To prevent errors, emergency physicians (EPs) should use brief, sensitive tests to evaluate older patient's mental status. Prior…
Objective: This study was conducted to assess the ultrasound's (US's) ability to identify pertinent landmarks for lumbar puncture (LP) in patients of various body mass indices (BMIs) and establish spatial relationships of pertinent LP landmarks…
