Hospital A&E depts 'need to address elderly cognitive impairment better'
Friday 8th July 2011
Locum doctors and those in hospital doctor jobs working emergency departments need to do more to assess and treat elderly people suffering from cognitive impairment.
An international study of how more than 4,000 patients are treated in hospital emergency departments revealed fundamental shortcomings when dealing with people suffering from conditions such as dementia and delirium.
Researchers from the University of Alberta, who published their findings in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, concluded that care needs to be better tailored to meet the needs of people with cognitive impairment in high-income countries.
The study, which considered 15 different research projects across seven different countries, also highlighted the need for further debate about who should carry out cognitive impairment assessments.
Lead author Dr Belinda Parke, of the Alberta Faculty of Nursing, said: "[Older patients with cognitive impairment] tend to be more helpless, demand special attention and fail to co-operate, posing many challenges for healthcare staff during admission, assessment and treatment."
She added that the results of the study demonstrated "a profound difference between saying that a patient is difficult and realising that patient care is difficult".
In May, the Care Quality Commission published 12 detailed reports examining the care elderly people receive in 100 NHS hospitals in England.
The reports highlighted problems with older people not understanding their treatment, having concerns addressed by hospital staff and also the attitude of some staff.
Written by James Puckle
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