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Geriatric Assessment

The geriatric assessment is a multidimensional and multidisciplinary diagnostic approach used to evaluate elderly patients beyond a standard physical exam. It includes assessments of cognition, mood, nutrition, medication use, social supports, and functional status. This comprehensive evaluation identifies medical problems, functional limitations, and psychosocial issues in older patients. Individualized care plans are then created to address each patient's needs through treatment, education, and coordination of services. Geriatric assessment and care coordination have been shown to improve outcomes while reducing costs through fewer emergency visits, hospitalizations, and adverse drug events.

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Azubuike Ifejoku-Chukwuka
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449 views2 pages

Geriatric Assessment

The geriatric assessment is a multidimensional and multidisciplinary diagnostic approach used to evaluate elderly patients beyond a standard physical exam. It includes assessments of cognition, mood, nutrition, medication use, social supports, and functional status. This comprehensive evaluation identifies medical problems, functional limitations, and psychosocial issues in older patients. Individualized care plans are then created to address each patient's needs through treatment, education, and coordination of services. Geriatric assessment and care coordination have been shown to improve outcomes while reducing costs through fewer emergency visits, hospitalizations, and adverse drug events.

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Azubuike Ifejoku-Chukwuka
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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GERIATRIC ASSESSMENT The geriatric assessment is a multidimensional and multidisciplinary diagnostic approach designed to collect data on the medical,

psychosocial and functional capabilities and limitations of elderly patients (Glickman-Simon, 2007). And this assessment goes beyond the standard adult comprehensive history and physical exam. It includes a more extensive evaluation. In addition to the basic inquiries and physical examinations, information of special importance in older adults often include orthostatic vital signs, vision, hearing, gait and balance, fall assessment, cognition (memory) and affect (depression). Others include rehabilitative status and prognosis if ill or disabled, current emotional health and substance abuse, nutritional status and needs, disease risk factors, screening status, and health promotion activities (Kane et al, 2004). In other words, Nurses should take note of in-depth medication review including history of prescribed an over-the-counter drugs, and vitamins and trado-medical substances including the immunization status of the patient. An in-depth evaluation of living arrangements, social supports and activities, and advanced directives should also be made. This kind of assessment yields a more complete and relevant list of medical problems and functional problems, for example, difficulty walking, falls, the need for assistance with ADLs, incontinence, constipation, inadequate pain control, and psychosocial issues, the presence of depression, and social isolation. These syndromes require individualized, coordinated strategies of care for further evaluation, treatment, referral, and patient/caregiver education (Kane et al, 2004). In conclusion, geriatric assessment and care coordination is both highly effective and cost effective and is important for administering of prescriptions, reduce the incidence of adverse drug events, and guide the need for specialty services, diagnostic studies, ER visits, and

hospitalizations. In other words, the process of consultation and care coordination leads to improved patient and caregiver satisfaction. REFERENCES Glickman-Simon, R. (2007).Comprehensive geriatric assessment. Tufts University School of Medicine. Retrieved September 14, 2009. From http://ocw.tufts.edu/data/42/499797.pdf Kane, R.L., Ouslander, J.G. & Abrass, I.B. (2004). Essentials of clinical geriatrics (5th ed.). McGraw Hill: New York.McDonald, M.E. (2007). The nurse educators guide to assessing learning outcomes (2nd ed.).Jones and Bartlett Publishers: Sudbury, MA

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