Age and ageing
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screening for cognitive impairment in Emergency Department (ED) requires short, reliable tools. ⋯ 6-CIT and 4AT accurately exclude delirium and dementia in older ED attendees. 6-CIT does not require collateral history but has lower PPV for delirium.
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social isolation is defined as a lack of meaningful and sustained communication or interactions with social networks. There is limited understanding on the prevalence of social isolation and loneliness in people following hip fracture and no previous understanding of how this changes over time. ⋯ this analysis has determined that whilst social isolation and loneliness do not change over time following hip fracture, these remain a significant problem for this population. Interventions are required to address these physical and psychological health needs. This is important as they may have short and longer term health benefits for people post-hip fracture.
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delirium is a medical emergency affecting approximately 30% of hospitalised older patients. Recent work examining UK undergraduate medical curricula highlighted inconsistencies in the delivery of teaching on delirium. The aim of this project was to develop consensus agreement on a delirium curriculum for medical undergraduates. ⋯ this Delphi process enabled an international group of experts from a broad range of specialties, to reach consensus agreement on the components of an undergraduate curriculum for delirium. The curriculum represents an important step in the development of delirium education within medical training. Despite competing demands of increasingly crowded undergraduate curricula, delirium, given its relevance to 21st century healthcare, must be prioritised. We call on Medical Schools to consider integrating this delirium curriculum into their degree programmes.