overarching aim of the proposed study is to analyze the role of health administration leadership. In support of this aim, the study has several objectives, including promoting sound professional practices, ethics, social accountability, and community orientation, integrating analytical and critical thinking skills into professional activities, demonstrating cooperative team work, analyzing professional development in the health field through planned, reflective, self-directed learning and demonstrating effective leadership and interpersonal, written, and group communication skills.
The Future of Health Care Services as They Relate to Geriatric Services in an Acute Care Hospital
Fall 2013
Introduction
The study's introduction will be used to describe the importance of geriatric services in general and these services in an acute care hospital in particular. The introduction will explain that the study identifies the problem of interest, its background and context, and the impact of geriatric services on hospital environments. Recommendations and leadership considerations are followed by a discussion of innovative solutions to geriatric services. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning the provision of geriatric services in an acute care hospital are presented in the study's conclusion.
Identification of the Problem
This section will identify the problem of interest, specifically the future of health care services as they relate to the provision of geriatric services in an acute care hospital.
Cordato, N.J., Saha, S. & Price, M.A. (2009, May). Geriatric interventions: The evidence base for comprehensive health care services for older people. Australian Health Review, 29(2),
151-166.
According to these nursing researchers, in order to be effective, geriatric services must employ a team of multidisciplinary specialists who are proficient at geriatric evaluation and management. There is an ongoing need to ensure the relevant medical, functional and psychosocial issues that are involved are taken into account in the provision of geriatric services to at-risk frail elderly individuals.
Rae, B., Busby, W. & Millard, P.H. (2007, February). Fast-tracking acute hospital care - from bed crisis to bed crisis. Australian Health Review, 31(1), 50-61.
These authors emphasize the need for multidisciplinary care by geriatric medical teams and closer collaboration between social workers, nurses and medical staff to facilitate long-term placement.
Background and Context
1.
This section presents the background of the study and emphasizes that the elderly segment of the population is increasing at a rapid rate, and there are going to be more very elderly in the future.
Mahadevan, M. (2012, September). Menu engineering for assisted-living elderly: A public health imperative. Perspectives in Public Health, 132(5), 211-219.
The current annual increase rate for the elderly in the United States is 2.8%, a rate that experts predict will ensure that the growth rate for the elderly segment of the population will outpace growth rates for the remainder of the U.S. population.
2.
This section also presents the context of the study which relates to the corresponding increase in age-related physical and cognitive problems that will be experienced by the growing numbers of elderly in the future as explained further below.
Impact on Hospital Environment
The growing numbers of elderly will require a greater percentage of health care services as part of the country's total health care services in the future.
Seby, K., Chaudhury, S. & Chakraborty, R. (2011, April-June). Prevalence of psychiatric and physical morbidity in an urban geriatric population. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 53(2),
121-129.
Like many other developed nations, the United States has experienced declining fertility rates, which has resulted in an increased percentage of the elderly as a part of the total population. This increase has been matched by a corresponding increase in demand for geriatric services as part of the total health care services provided by these countries.
Recommendations and Leadership Considerations
Recommendations for this section will be based on a synthesis of the main themes and findings that emerge from the literature review, taking into account relevant leadership considerations that must be taken into account.
Innovative Solutions to Geriatric Services
Complex problems frequently require complex solutions, and the provision of cost-effective and efficacious geriatric services to a growing population of elderly is certainly no exception.
Carignan, C.R. & Krebs, HI. (2006, August-September). Telerehabilitation robotics: Bright lights, big future? Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, 43(5), 695-671.
Because national health care resources are by definition scarce, identifying innovative solutions to the provision of geriatric services represents a timely and valuable enterprise.
Conclusion
The study's conclusion will present a summary of the research together with the major themes and findings that emerged during the research process.
References
The study's peer-reviewed and scholarly references will be cited using APA 6.0.
Annotated Bibliography
Ahmed, N.N. & S.E. Pearce (2010). Acute care for the elderly: a literature review. Population Health Management, 13(4), 219-225.
Using...
The initiative was shown effective across a constellation of measures, including cost effectiveness, reduced lengths of stay and readmission rates. Moreover, the ACE initiative demonstrated positive global outcomes for resource utilization, patient/staff satisfaction, cognition, function and rehabilitation.
Cordato, N.J., Saha, S. & Price, M.A. (2009, May). Geriatric interventions: The evidence base for comprehensive health care services for older people. Australian Health Review, 29(2),
151-166.
The frail elderly require comprehensive, multidisciplinary care in acute care settings. These patients frequently suffer from a wide range of psychosocial, medical and functional problems that require intensive and long-term interventions in order to be effective.
Cahall, M., Jerome, R.N. & Powers, J. (2008, April). The impact of a literature consult service on geriatric clinical care and training in falls prevention. Journal of the Medical Library
Association, 96(2), 88-101.
Besides medication errors, falls represent one of the biggest threats facing the frail elderly during their inpatient admissions. Because many frail elderly never recover from a serious fall, it is important to include fall prevention programs as part of a comprehensive treatment regimen for these inpatients.
Dyer, C.B. & Goins, A.M. (2009, Summer). The role of the interdisciplinary geriatric assessment in addressing self-neglect of the elderly. Generations, 24(2), 23-29.
Many elderly present at acute care hospitals with evidence of self neglect that requires careful assessment and follow-up interventions in order to ensure that these patients receive the daily necessities of life and avoid self-destructive behaviors that may not be readily discernible otherwise.
Fulmer. T., Flaherty, E. & Medley, L. (2001, Spring). Geriatric nurse practitioners: Vital to the future of healthcare for elders. Generations, 25(1), 72-75.
Geriatric nurse practitioners are in high demand in response to the growing elderly population, and there is growing consensus that these health care practitioners represent a vital part of a multidisciplinary geriatric treatment team in acute care settings.
Hornik, M. (2008, Fall). Social work in geriatric home health care: The blending of traditional practice and cooperative strategies. Care Management Journals, 3(1), 47-56.
Geriatric social workers are an important part of a multidisciplinary treatment team in acute care hospital settings. By providing compassionate and evidence-based services as part of the geriatric treatment team, social workers can facilitate discharge planning and aftercare management.
Ismail, Z., Arenovich, T., Grieve, C., Willett, P., Sajeev, G., Mamo, D.C., MacQueen, G.M. & Mulsant, B.H. (2012, November). Predicting hospital length of stay for geriatric patients with mood disorders. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 57(11), 696-702.
These researchers analyzed admission and discharge date for a 5-year period (2005 to 2010) to identify predictors of hospital length of stay for geriatric patients suffering from various mood disorders who had been admitted for inpatient psychiatric care. The results showed that longer lengths of stay were predicted by living alone, the number of recent psychiatric inpatient stays, involuntary admissions and intense observation levels, but shorter lengths of stay were predicted by pain on admission. The authors conclude that these findings have important implications for geriatric case management.
Mezey, M., et al. (2008). Healthcare professional training: a comparison of geriatric competencies. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 56(9), 1724-1729.
Despite the growing need and proven utility of delivering geriatric care through multidisciplinary teams, there remains a paucity of research in this area that has limited the development of these collaborative efforts. Notwithstanding this gap, there are several examples of effective treatment regimens available in the recent research that can help guide the process in acute care settings.
Netting, F.E. & Williams, F.G. (1999, May). Integrating geriatric case management into primary care physician practices. Health and Social Work, 20(2), 152-155.
An important part of a multidisciplinary geriatric treatment team in acute care settings is the geriatric case manager. These practitioners target at-risk frail elderly who tend to use an inordinately higher percentage of health care services. In their practice, these health care practitioners coordinate care with primary care physicians, nursing teams, social workers, rehabilitation specialists and others.
Rodriguez, C., Kergoat, M.J., Latour, J., Lebel, P. & Contandriopoulos, A-P. (2009,
July/August). Admission criteria in short-term geriatric assessment units: A Delphi study.
Canadian Journal of Public Health, 94(4), 310.
Multidisciplinary geriatric care teams have been established in the Canadian medical system in recent years in order to provide the frail elderly optimal care in acute care settings. The results of this comprehensive survey of health care practitioners found that most elderly presenting in acute care settings are suffering from a constellation of pathologies that require careful assessment using instruments with known reliability and validity.
Seby, K., Chaudhury, S. &…
