Elizabeth Marsden1,2, Andrea Taylor1, Marianne Wallis2, Alison Craswell2, Marc Broadbent2, Adrian Barnett3, Julia Crilly4,5. 1. Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. 2. School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine, University of Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. 3. AStat, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation and School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 4. Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Griffith, Queensland, Australia. 5. Department of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast Health, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: As the population of Australia ages, EDs will experience an increasing frequency of presentations of older adults from residential aged care facilities (RACFs). These presentations are often complex and time consuming in the chaotic and potentially hazardous ED environment. The Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention (GEDI) model was developed to optimise the care of frail older adults, especially RACF residents, in the ED. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the GEDI model on the primary outcomes of disposition (admission, discharge or death) and ED length of stay for residents of RACFs, presenting to an ED in regional Queensland, Australia. METHODS: GEDI is a nurse-led, physician-championed, innovative model delivered by advanced practice nurses with expertise in gerontology. This quasi-experimental pragmatic study compared outcomes for RACF residents who presented to a regional Queensland ED during three time periods: pre-GEDI, interim GEDI and post-GEDI implementation of the GEDI model. Outcomes included disposition, ED length of stay, ED re-presentation and mortality. RESULTS: A significant increase in the likelihood of discharge from ED (hazard ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 1.05-1.26) and reductions in ED length of stay (hazard ratio 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.24-1.78) were evident for RACF residents following the implementation of the GEDI intervention. There were no differences in mortality, ED re-presentation or in-hospital length of stay between the three time periods. CONCLUSION: There is a paucity of evidence to support the implementation of nurse-led teams in EDs designed to target older adults living in RACFs. The GEDI model was effective in reducing ED length of stay while increasing the likelihood of safe discharge for RACF residents.
OBJECTIVE: As the population of Australia ages, EDs will experience an increasing frequency of presentations of older adults from residential aged care facilities (RACFs). These presentations are often complex and time consuming in the chaotic and potentially hazardous ED environment. The Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention (GEDI) model was developed to optimise the care of frail older adults, especially RACF residents, in the ED. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the GEDI model on the primary outcomes of disposition (admission, discharge or death) and ED length of stay for residents of RACFs, presenting to an ED in regional Queensland, Australia. METHODS: GEDI is a nurse-led, physician-championed, innovative model delivered by advanced practice nurses with expertise in gerontology. This quasi-experimental pragmatic study compared outcomes for RACF residents who presented to a regional Queensland ED during three time periods: pre-GEDI, interim GEDI and post-GEDI implementation of the GEDI model. Outcomes included disposition, ED length of stay, ED re-presentation and mortality. RESULTS: A significant increase in the likelihood of discharge from ED (hazard ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 1.05-1.26) and reductions in ED length of stay (hazard ratio 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.24-1.78) were evident for RACF residents following the implementation of the GEDI intervention. There were no differences in mortality, ED re-presentation or in-hospital length of stay between the three time periods. CONCLUSION: There is a paucity of evidence to support the implementation of nurse-led teams in EDs designed to target older adults living in RACFs. The GEDI model was effective in reducing ED length of stay while increasing the likelihood of safe discharge for RACF residents.