A report published on Tuesday looked at the impact of introducing a dedicated team of health and social care professionals to focus on 'timely assessment and intervention' among patients aged 65 and over. Photograph: iStock
The study of 353 older adults showed early assessment and intervention by the HSCP team reduced ED length of stay and the risk of hospital readmissions, as well as improving patient satisfaction.Sightings of basking sharks off Irish coast should give us hopeCrowding in emergency departments is a growing problem in Ireland and internationally and, coupled with long waiting times, affects healthcare outcomes and patient satisfaction.
These cost savings are largely driven by the timely discharge of older adults from the ED, meaning – if adopted nationally – the service would aim to get patients home as soon as possible, the research said.