Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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To identify older adults with comorbidities or poor functional status at high risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE). ⋯ Individuals with COPD had slightly greater risk of VTE, whereas low functional status had a larger effect that did not reach statistical significance. The constraints of administrative data analysis and sample size available for PCS limit conclusions about the role of these comorbidities and functional status.
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To systematically document the implementation, components, comparators, adherence, and effectiveness of published fall prevention approaches in U.S. acute care hospitals. ⋯ Promising approaches exist, but better reporting of outcomes, implementation, adherence, intervention components, and comparison group information is necessary to establish evidence on how hospitals can successfully prevent falls.
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To determine whether pain predicts future activity of daily living (ADL) disability or death in individuals aged 60 and older. ⋯ Although there are strong cross-sectional relationships between pain and functional limitations, individuals with pain are not at higher risk of subsequent disability or death after accounting for functional limitations. Like many geriatric syndromes, pain and disability may represent interrelated phenomena that occur simultaneously and require unified treatment paradigms.
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To document the experiences of patients, their caregivers, healthcare personnel, and staff members with a program that provides telemedicine-enhanced emergency care to older adults residing in senior living communities (SLCs) and to delineate perceived barriers and facilitators. ⋯ Telemedicine-enhanced emergency care is an acceptable method of providing emergency care to older adults in SLCs. Stakeholders report a number of advantages. Training and technology barriers require particular attention.