Tracking the Rise of Geriatric Emergency Departments in the United States
- 18 November 2018
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Applied Gerontology
- Vol. 39 (8), 871-879
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464818813030
Abstract
The traditional model of emergency care no longer fits the growing needs of the over 20 million older adults annually seeking emergency department care. In 2007 a tailored “geriatric emergency department” model was introduced and rapidly replicated among hospitals, rising steeply over the past 5 years. This survey examined all U.S. emergency departments self-identifying themselves as Geriatric Emergency Departments (GEDs) and providing enhanced geriatric emergency care services. It was guided by the recently adopted Geriatric Emergency Department Guidelines and examined domains including, GED identity, staffing, and administration; education, equipment, and supplies; policies, procedures, and protocols; follow-up and transitions of care; and quality improvement. Results reveal a heterogeneous mix of GED staffing, procedures, physical environments and that GEDs’ familiarity with the GED Guidelines is low. Findings will inform emergency departments and gerontologists nationwide about key GED model elements and will help hospitals to improve ED services for their older adult patients.Keywords
Funding Information
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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