Elderly care in the emergency department: an integrative review

Abstract

Objective: To identify the care practices of nurses for the elderly in emergency departments. Method: An integrative review was carried out in the CAPES database, selecting publications in English, Portuguese and Spanish published between January 2011 and October 2016. The descriptors used were: "Emergency nursing"; "Geriatric nursing"; "Health services for the elderly"; "Elderly person"; "Nursing care". Results: Sixteen articles were analyzed in English, the majority of which had a qualitative approach (56.2%). Australia had the largest number of publications (31.2%). After reading the studies in full, the common themes were organized and classified into three categories: Challenges/difficulties in the care of the elderly in the emergency department, Positive experiences of elderly care in the emergency department and The emergency department as a space of death and dying. Conclusion: The care practices of nurses are focused on identifying the main problems regarding elderly care, adaptation and the planning of their work routine. Another strategy is the implementation of instruments of evaluation specific to elderly patients and the involvement of the family in all stages of care.

Representações sociais elaboradas por pessoas idosas sobre ser idoso ou envelhecido: abordagens estrutural e processual

“…Já o cognema "morrer" resgatou a dimensão de finitude, numa perspectiva temporal, que antecede a aproximação da morte de modo a negá-la ou prorrogá-la. 23 As pessoas idosas querem estar perto da família, em especial dos filhos, e a ausência de algum deles ocasiona sentimentos de: falta, abandono, desprezo, carência, tristeza e dependência por parte da pessoa envelhecida em relação à família. Isso porque as experiências das pessoas idosas por contato social, contexto intergeracional, meios de comunicação (individual e de massa), engajamento em atividades de lazer, trabalho ou recreação podem possibilitar o compartilhamento de comportamentos, atitudes, valores, imagens, informações e conhecimentos sobre como esse momento é e como ele é retratado por outras pessoas.…”

Communication between pre-hospital and intra-hospital emergency medical services: literature review

“…When carrying out a case transfer, it is also important to address the psychological and social aspects of patients (20)(21) , since most of those who arrive at the emergency department are elderly, this being a concern in the Brazilian scenario, because the epidemiological profile of those assisted in emergencies has been increasing due to the demand of this age group. Added to this, the reasons that lead such a group to this service, which are usually aggravations of chronic conditions, added to multiple comorbidities and changes in mental state (28) . These facts present themselves as barriers to care, since less than 3% of case transfers presented information about the psychosocial conditions of patients who arrived from the ambulance to the emergency department (20) .…”

Capacidade funcional e qualidade de vida de pessoas idosas internadas no serviço de emergência

“…It should be noted that the study was carried out in an emergency service of a university hospital of high complexity, responsible for covering an area that covers more than five million inhabitants. Furthermore, this institution serves patients from other states (29) , especially the elderly population, who use hospital services more than other age groups (3) . Most of the elderly who enter the hospital do so through the first service provided at the aforementioned emergency room; therefore, assistance initiated in ES cannot lose sight of FC maintenance that will interfere with the better or worse QoL of elderly people treated in this service.…”

“…The impact of aging has a direct impact on health services aimed at elderly people who have more complex health problems, need specialized care, use hospital services more than other age groups and often have longer hospital stays and more complicated recovery; therefore, health expenses rise (3) .…”