ADVERTISEMENT
American Geriatrics Society 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting
- Examining Geriatric Syndromes in Older Adults With HIV
- Urinary Tract Infections May Be Inappropriately Diagnosed and Treated in Nursing Home Residents Evaluated in Emergency Departments
- Study Sheds Light on Short-Term Outcomes After TAVR in Elderly Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis
- Loosening the Reins of Glycemic Control
- Reducing Inappropriate Screening and Treatment of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Patients With Urinary Catheters
- Improving Accessibility to Advance Directives in Electronic Health Records
- Using Electronic Health Records to Reduce Medication Errors in Long-Term Care
-
Late-Life Depression and Risk of Tooth Loss
Examining Geriatric Syndromes in Older Adults With HIV
Late-Life Depression and Risk of Tooth Loss
Although many strategies for providing oral care focus on the mechanical removal of plaque, little is known about how mental health may affect dentition. A new study that was presented during the AGS meeting investigated the association between depression, dentition, and overall dental care among older adults.
To prevent inappropriate screening and treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in patients with urinary catheters, Barbara Wells Trautner, MD, PhD, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX, and colleagues from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, and South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, conducted a quality improvement project that was successful in improving antimicrobial stewardship for ASB in their catheterized patients. The results of the project were presented during a poster session at the AGS meeting.
Improving Accessibility to Advance Directives in Electronic Health Records
Oversight of existing ADs has often been attributed to this documentation being provided on paper, which could easily get lost or overlooked, particularly during transitions of care. However, during a poster session at the AGS meeting, Vivyenne Roche, MD, program director, Geriatrics Fellowship Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, reported that such oversights are possible even with today’s electronic health records.
Using Electronic Health Records to Reduce Medication Errors in Long-Term Care
During a poster session at the AGS meeting, Thomas Caprio, MD, MPH, Timothy Holahan, DO, and Joseph Nicholas, MD, MPH, at the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, described a quality improvement project they undertook to reduce medication errors at their LTC facility. This project used the recently implemented EHR at their facility to target workflow related to medication reconciliation.
Two Studies Examine the Triumphs and Stuggles of INTERACT for Quality Improvement
At the AGS meeting, two posters were presented discussing the use of INTERACT for quality improvement in LTC facilities. One focused on the application of INTERACT for reducing hospital admissions in residents with skilled needs, and the other focused on identifying and overcoming the practical and perceived barriers to INTERACT implementation. Read More>>
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most commonly encountered bacterial infections in nursing home (NH) residents. Although overdiagnosis and overtreatment of UTIs has been reported in long-term care (LTC) settings, it is unclear whether this persists when NH residents are transferred to the emergency department (ED) for evaluation. During a poster session at the AGS meeting, Todd McDiarmid, MD, and colleagues from East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, presented the results of their retrospective study, which indicated that overdiagnosis and overtreatment of this population might persist in this setting.
Study Sheds Light on Short-Term Outcomes After TAVR in Elderly Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis
During a poster session at the AGS annual meeting, researchers from Hospital General Universitario “Gregorio Marañón,” Madrid, Spain, reported that many elderly patients with inoperable aortic stenosis who undergo TAVR require more short-term help with activities of daily living despite experiencing improvement in functional outcomes and cardiac symptoms.
Loosening the Reins of Glycemic Control
With the exception of using tight glycemic control to reduce risk of myocardial infarction and mortality with metformin, there is no evidence to suggest that using medication to achieve an A1C level below 7% is beneficial in older adults. This recent recommendation from the AGS was the foundation for a study presented by Allison Riendeau, PharmD, geriatrics and palliative care clinical pharmacy specialist, Kaiser Permanente, Atlanta, GA, and colleagues during a poster session at the AGS 2014.
