Safety needs of hospitalized elderly patients

Safety needs of hospitalized elderly patients
ashraf beirami,^1,* shilan azizi,² shokofeh zarei,³ zeinab mosavifard,⁴ rashin alizadeh,⁵
1. Department of Nursing, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran
2. Department of Nursing, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran
3. Department of Nursing, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran
4. Department of Nursing, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran
5. Department of pharmaceutical science, tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, tehran, Iran
Introduction: Safety is a major problem when working with or taking care to older patients. There are several safety issues that should be considered regarding with the elderly patients. One of the most important safety subject is ‘‘geriatric syndromes or medical errors,’’ which include falls, delirium, pressure ulcers and underfeeding. Geriatric syndromes are associated with high mortality
Methods: : In the following review article after searching key words “Safety needs ,hospitalized ,elderly patientss” in credible English and Persian databases such as PubMed, Scopus Magiran, Scientific Information Database, web of science and google scholar; until the year 2020 without a date limit, a total of 104 papers were found. After a stepwise and more precise review, 15 papers were selected that were aligned with the purpose of the review study at hand.
Results: The incidence of unintentional injury, which usually results from a fall, assumes among the peak 6 reasons of death in elderly people. The incidence of delirium in hospitalized elderly patients is associated with mortality rates of 25% to 33%. Also, the mortality rate for residents with pressure ulcers in long term care facilities reported 26% over a 6-month follow-up period. Underfeeding is also related with poor clinical outcomes and high mortality. In addition, errors are a vital safety practice that should be considered in geriatric care. The literature identified and extended on six particular recommendations that we believe will improve the safety of geriatric care. These six recommendations consist of the detection and reporting of geriatric syndromes, identifying system failures when geriatric syndromes occur, establishing dedicated geriatric units, improving the continuity of care, decreasing adverse drug effects, and promotion of geriatric training programs
Conclusion: . Elderly people seem to be a special at risk group for medical errors. It is hospitals' responsibility to keep patients safe and considers the significance of safety during their work.
Keywords: Safety needs , hospitalized ,elderly patients