SPICT tool among intubated elderly patients at emergency department.

Background: The global rise in the aging population necessitates a proactive approach to palliative care, with a substantial gap between the demand for and access to such care. The Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT) has emerged as a valuable instrument for identifying patients at risk of deterioration and death, enhancing the timely initiation of palliative care. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and outcomes of patients aged 60 and above who got intubated in the emergency department (ED), with and without fulfilling SPICT criteria.

Association of Sonographic Sarcopenia and Falls in Older Adults Presenting to the Emergency Department.

Background And Objective: To determine the association between point-of-care-ultrasonography (POCUS)-measured sarcopenia and grip strength, as well as the history of prior-year falls among older adults admitted to the emergency department observation unit (EDOU).

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted over 8 months at a large urban teaching hospital. A consecutive sample of patients who were 65 years or older and admitted to the EDOU were enrolled in the study.

COVID-19 hospital and emergency department visitor policies in the United States: Impact on persons with cognitive or physical impairment or receiving end-of-life care.

Objective: To characterize the national distribution of COVID-19 hospital and emergency department visitor restriction policies across the United States, focusing on patients with cognitive or physical impairment or receiving end-of-life care.

Methods: Cross-sectional study of visitor policies and exceptions, using a nationally representative random sample of EDs and hospitals during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, by trained study investigators using standardized instrument.

Results: Of the 352 hospitals studied, 326 (93%) had a COVID-19 hospital-wide visitor restriction policy and 164 (47%) also had an ED-specific policy.

Impact of Geriatric Emergency Fellowship Training on the careers of Emergency Physicians.

Introduction The geriatric population continues to increase and will impact the emergency department (ED). Older adult patients require different care from other groups of patients. Hence, it is essential to create a workforce that specializes in geriatric emergency medicine (GEM).

Lessons Learned From Emergency Department Fall Assessment and Prevention Programs.

Objectives This research describes the experiences of emergency departments (EDs) with geriatric fall programs and qualitatively synthesizes lessons learned to inform other EDs planning new fall program implementation. Methods By using grounded theory, we conducted semi-structured, open-ended telephone/skype interviews of emergency physicians and geriatric providers recruited from a purposeful sampling technique. The interviews were transcribed and reviewed by two investigators.

A pilot study examining the use of ultrasound to measure sarcopenia, frailty and fall in older patients.

Introduction: The importance of this study is to devise an efficient tool for assessing frailty in the ED. The goals of this study are 1) to correlate ultrasonographic (US) measurements of muscle thickness in older ED patients with frailty and 2) to correlate US-measured sarcopenia with falls, subsequent hospitalizations and ED revisits.

Methods: Participants were conveniently sampled from a single ED in this prospective cohort pilot study of patients aged 65 or older.

Geriatric Emergency Medicine Fellowships: Current State of Specialized Training for Emergency Physicians in Optimizing Care for Older Adults.

Improving emergency department (ED) care for older adults is a critical issue in emergency medicine. Institutions throughout the United States and Canada have recognized the growing need for a workforce of emergency physician (EP) leaders focused on clinical innovation, education, and research and have developed specialized fellowship training in geriatric emergency medicine (GEM). We describe here the overview, structure, and curricula of these fellowships as well as successes and challenges they have encountered.