Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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Multicenter Study
Validation of the Charlson Comorbidity Index in acutely hospitalized elderly adults: a prospective cohort study.
To determine whether the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) predicts short- and long-term mortality. ⋯ The CCI independently predicts short- and long-term mortality in acutely ill hospitalized elderly adults.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A tool to strengthen the older patient-companion partnership in primary care: results from a pilot study.
To determine the acceptability of a pre-consultation checklist for older adults who attend medical visits with an unpaid companion and to evaluate its effects on visit communication. ⋯ A checklist to elicit and align perspectives of older adults and their companions resulted in enhanced patient-centered medical visit communication.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Burden in caregivers of cognitively impaired elderly adults at time of hospitalization: a cross-sectional analysis.
To describe the factors associated with burden that caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults (dementia, delirium, or both) at the time of hospitalization experienced. ⋯ These findings suggest that caregivers of older adults who were cognitively impaired at hospital admission experience burden. Understanding the factors that contribute to burden at the time of hospitalization for caregivers of persons with cognitive impairment can inform the development of interventions targeted throughout the hospitalization that have the potential to decrease burden.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Improving the care of elderly adults undergoing surgery in Michigan.
To determine whether failure to rescue, as a driver of mortality, can be used to identify which hospitals attenuate the specific risks inherent to elderly adults undergoing surgery. ⋯ Although elderly adults experience higher failure-to-rescue rates, this does not account for hospitals' overall capacity to rescue individuals from complications. Comparing rates of younger and elderly adults within hospitals may identify centers where efforts toward complication rescue favor, or are customized for, elderly adults. These centers should be studied as part of the collaborative's effort to address the disparate outcomes that elderly adults in Michigan experience.
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Multicenter Study
Effect of nosocomial bloodstream infections on mortality, length of stay, and hospital costs in older adults.
To quantify the effect of nosocomial bloodstream infection (BSI) on older adults, including mortality, length of stay (LOS), and costs attributed to BSI. ⋯ Nosocomial BSI in older adults was significantly associated with increases in 90-day mortality, increased LOS, and increased costs of care. Preventive interventions to eliminate nosocomial BSIs in older adults would likely be cost effective.