Acute hospital care for the elderly patient: Its impact on clinical and hospital systems of care

A significant portion of hospital care involves elderly patients who have frequent and severe disease presentations, higher risk of iatrogenic injury during hospitalization, and greater baseline vulnerability. These risks frequently result in longer and more frequent hospitalizations. The frailty and complication rates of the elderly population underscore the importance of hospital-based programs of education and screening for cognitive and functional impairments to determine risk and needed additional care and services during hospitalization and at discharge. In addition, physicians are needed to take the lead in instituting programs of prevention and improving the systems of care. It is such a multi-tiered approach, with interventions in the areas of education, screening, prevention, and systems of care improvements, that is needed to improve the clinical care and outcomes of the hospitalized elderly patient.