Older patients with advanced illness are presenting more frequently to emergency departments (EDs). These patients have complex needs, which challenge busy EDs tuned to provide emergent, life-sustaining interventions, and rapid dispositions. This article outlines communication skills to assess patient goals so that the ED provider can create a care plan that matches level of medical intervention with patient wishes. Furthermore, this article outlines symptom-based care for the actively dying geriatric patient in the ED, specifically, acute pain, dyspnea, terminal delirium, secretions, dry mouth, fever, and bereavement.
from Clinics in Geriatric Medicine https://ift.tt/2O0ozLt
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