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Project

Determinants of care results in older emergency department patients

The aging of populations presents new challenges to the emergency department (ED). This phenomenon will not only increase patient volumes in a system that is already burdened with crowding. It will also lead to more vulnerable ED patients whose complexities are difficult to detect and manage within the current ED model. As currently one out of three older adults experience an adverse event after an episode of ED care, research is necessary to explore how the current ED model can be adapted to the complex needs of vulnerable older patients. URGENT is a newly developed care model for older patients in the ED at University Hospitals Leuven. To explore the scaling possibilities of this care model, it is important to document its effectiveness and improvement opportunities. Five research aims emerge from these goals: i) to document the effectiveness of the URGENT care model, ii) to document the diagnostic accuracy of geriatric sceening tools in the ED, iii) to explore how emergency observation units for older adults are conceptualized in literature, iv) to explore how Flemish EDs operationalise geriatric care and identify related improvement opportunities, v) to establish a consensus on minimal operational standards for geriatric emergency care in Belgium. 

Date:22 Sep 2015 →  31 Dec 2021
Keywords:Care results, Emergency department
Disciplines:Public health care
Project type:PhD project