Posted Tuesday, 9 February
Aged care transfers to hospital emergency dept avoidable
Nursing home residents are being sent to emergency departments (ED) for end-of life treatment that would be better provided by GPs or residential care teams, University of Western Australia researchers have found.
Their report in the Australasian Journal on Ageing paints a grim picture of widespread inadequacy within aged care homes hampered by bureaucracy, insufficient end-of-life planning and staff training resulting in avoidable transfers for emergency care.
Focus group interviews with aged care and hospital emergency staff and aged care residents found broad support to reduce ED transfers, but staff say they are often ‘bullied’ by families who have unrealistic expectations of what can be achieved for their loved ones.
GPs were put off from working in residential aged care facilities because of the paperwork involved when a patient becomes severely unwell, the study showed. Homes were constrained by impractical accreditation requirements which diverted from care giving, the researchers say.
The Australia Medical Association has said it wants access to ongoing medical care to be a specific accreditation standard for aged care providers.
It proposes that GPs should be allowed to use general practice nurses to assist in medical care in aged care facilities, and allowing providers to enter into service agreements with medical practitioners.
