High yield research opportunities in geriatric emergency medicine: prehospital care, delirium, adverse drug events, and falls

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2011 Jul;66(7):775-83. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glr040. Epub 2011 Apr 17.

Abstract

Emergency services constitute crucial and frequently used safety nets for older persons, an emergency visit by a senior very often indicates high vulnerability for functional decline and death, and interventions via the emergency system have significant opportunities to change the clinical course of older patients who require its services. However, the evidence base for widespread employment of emergency system-based interventions is lacking. In this article, we review the evidence and offer crucial research questions to capitalize on the opportunity to optimize health trajectories of older persons seeking emergency care in four areas: prehospital care, delirium, adverse drug events, and falls.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Accidental Falls / statistics & numerical data*
  • Aged
  • Delirium / epidemiology
  • Delirium / therapy*
  • Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / epidemiology
  • Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / therapy*
  • Emergency Medical Services / methods*
  • Geriatric Assessment / statistics & numerical data*
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • United States / epidemiology