Methodology for developing quality indicators for the care of older people in the Emergency Department

BMC Emergency Medicine

Study Protocol

Linda Schnitker¹  Melinda Martin-Khan²  Leonard C Gray²  Ellen Burkett³  Richard N Jones⁴ 

[1] Centre for Research in Geriatric Medicine, Level 2, Building 33, Princess Alexandra Hospital, The University of Queensland, Ipswich Road, 4102, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia;Centre for Research in Geriatric Medicine, Level 2, Building 33, Princess Alexandra Hospital, The University of Queensland, Ipswich Road, 4102, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia;Centre for Online Health, Level 3, Foundation Building, royal Children’s Hospital, The University of Queensland, 4029, Herston, QLD, Australia;Centre for Research in Geriatric Medicine, Level 2, Building 33, Princess Alexandra Hospital, The University of Queensland, Ipswich Road, 4102, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia;Emergency Department, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Queensland Health, Ipswich Road, 4102, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia;Hebrew SeniorLife, Institute for Aging Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, 1200 Centre Street, 02131, Boston, MA, USA;

关键词: Emergency service;    Hospital;    Quality indicators;    Health care;    Geriatrics;    Health services for the aged;    Dementia;    Cognitive impairment;    Residential facilities;    Protocol;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-227X-13-23

 received in 2013-06-05, accepted in 2013-10-31,  发布年份 2013

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundCompared with younger people, older people have a higher risk of adverse health outcomes when presenting to emergency departments. As the population ages, older people will make up an increasing proportion of the emergency department population. Therefore it is timely that consideration be given to the quality of care received by older persons in emergency departments, and to consideration of those older people with special needs. Particular attention will be focused on important groups of older people, such as patients with cognitive impairment, residents of long term care and patients with palliative care needs. This project will develop a suite of quality indicators focused on the care of older persons in the emergency department.Methods/designFollowing input from an expert panel, an initial set of structural, process, and outcome indicators will be developed based on thorough systematic search in the scientific literature. All initial indicators will be tested in eight emergency departments for their validity and feasibility. Results of the data from the field studies will be presented to the expert panel at a second meeting. A suite of Quality Indicators for the older emergency department population will be finalised following a formal voting process.DiscussionThe predicted burgeoning in the number of older persons presenting to emergency departments combined with the recognised quality deficiencies in emergency department care delivery to this population, highlight the need for a quality framework for the care of older persons in emergency departments. Additionally, high quality of care is associated with improved survival & health outcomes of elderly patients. The development of well-selected, validated and economical quality indicators will allow appropriate targeting of resources (financial, education or quality management) to improve quality in areas with maximum potential for improvement.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Martin-Khan et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2013