Emergency medical care in the context of inpatient care for the elderly in rural regions
About one third of the people in Germany who are classified as in need of long-term care according to SGB XI live in long-term inpatient care facilities1. The vast majority of residents of inpatient care facilities are characterised by vulnerability and frailty. These physical and mental health impairments as well as multimorbidity pose particular challenges in medical and nursing care2.
Limited medical resources in rural areas are increasingly leading to increased use of emergency services and treatment in hospital emergency rooms. Recurrent hospitalisations and ambulance services can pose a considerable health risk for very old people, as they are often considered a trigger for stress and infections3.
Against the background of the increasing number of emergency patients and the heterogeneity of the changing care needs, the cooperation of outpatient and inpatient care sectors is urgently required. Integrated care models can represent an opportunity to meet the multidimensional demands of this vulnerable group of people, which implies an interdisciplinary medical and nursing care need, by overcoming the sectors.
In her dissertation project, Ms Özkaytan shows in a scoping review which integrated model projects already exist in rural elderly care. With the help of qualitative interviews, she then reconstructs emergency medical care in inpatient long-term care in rural regions and examines how integrative care structures can create change.
Sources
(1) Statistisches Bundesamt (2021): Gesundheitszustand der Bevölkerung und Ressourcen der Gesundheitsversorgung- Auszug aus dem Datenreport- 2021
(2) Aarts et al. (2015): Co-Presence of Multimorbidity and Disability with Frailty: An Examination of Heterogeneity in the Frail Older Population. J Frailty Aging. 2015;4(3):131-8.
(3) Arendts & Howard (2010): The interface between residential aged care and the emergency department: a systematic review. Age Ageing 2010; 39(3): 306–12