St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne is transforming care for older people who present to the Emergency Department, enabling many of them to avoid hospital admission. Source: CHA.
SVHM’s Geriatrician in the Emergency Department (GED) initiative embeds geriatricians in the ED team to help determine the most appropriate pathway of care for older patients and freeing up hospital beds for people of all ages.
Older Australians make up 16 per cent of the population but are responsible for between 40–50 per cent of public hospital bed days, with Emergency Department visits by older people increasing by 30 per cent during the past decade.
Across St Vincent’s hospitals nationwide, people aged 65 and over account for more than 490,330 bed days every year.
SVHM launched the GED service to provide timelier, more appropriate care for older people and the service has proven to be a game-changer when it comes to supporting older Australians to be cared for beyond hospital walls.
During its first 10 months, the GED program received 445 patient referrals. Of those, 58 per cent were diverted from hospital admissions and treated at home or through community-based programs.
Richard Kane, SVHM’s clinical director of geriatric medicine, said the GED service was a win for everyone.
“Older patients often experience longer admissions and are more likely to encounter an adverse event, like a fall or an infection, while in hospital, and many older patients would prefer to receive their care at home,” Dr Kane said.
“Geriatricians have specialist expertise and knowledge of healthcare pathways for older people, and work effectively with ED staff to identify the best care pathway for older patients – including when that’s outside the hospital.
“By having a geriatrician in the ED for just a few hours each weekday morning, we’ve been able to safely divert almost 60 per cent of older patients who ED staff were planning to admit to hospital.”
FULL STORY
St Vincent’s trial transforms emergency care for older patients (CHA)
