406
Letters
References 1 Arendts G, Fitzhardinge S, Pronk K, Hutton M. Front-loading allied health intervention in the emergency department does not reduce length of stay for admitted older patients. Int J Clin Pract 2013; 67(8): 807–10. 2 Ellis G, Whitehead MA, Robinson D, O’Neill D, Langhorne P. Comprehensive geriatric assessment for
older adults admitted to hospital: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ 2011; 27(343): d6553. 3 McD Taylor D, Bennett DM, Cameron PA. A paradigm shift in the nature of care provision in emergency departments. Emerg Med J 2004; 21(6): 681–4.
Disclosure None. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.12358
LETTER
Response to McElwaine and Robinson Linked Comment: McElwaine and Robinson. Int J Clin Pract 2014; 68: 405–6.
To the Editor: I thank McElwaine and Robinson for their letter, particularly for emphasising that as we become better at selecting patients suitable for management in ambulatory settings, the complexity of patients in the hospital environment increases. Allied health intervention has an important role in facilitating discharge from the emergency department for ambulatory care, yielding a positive, albeit modest, impact on discharge rates (1) with an acceptable risk profile (2). As the population burden of frailty and complex chronic illness in
older people increases, refining our knowledge of which groups benefit most from specialist geriatric allied health services will enable better targeting of this valuable resource. G. Arendts, CCREM, WAIMR, Perth, Australia E-mail: [email protected]
rates in older people: a non-randomized clinical study. BMC Geriatrics 2012; 12: 8. 2 Arendts G, Fitzhardinge S, Pronk K, Hutton M. Outcomes in older patients requiring comprehensive allied health care prior to discharge from the emergency department. Emerg Med Australas 2013; 25(2): 127–31.
Disclosure
References
None.
1 Arendts G, Fitzhardinghe S, Pronk K, Donaldson M, Hutton M, Nagree Y. The impact of early emergency department allied health intervention on admission
doi: 10.1111/ijcp.12357
ª 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Int J Clin Pract, March 2014, 68, 3, 403–406
Letters
References 1 Arendts G, Fitzhardinge S, Pronk K, Hutton M. Front-loading allied health intervention in the emergency department does not reduce length of stay for admitted older patients. Int J Clin Pract 2013; 67(8): 807–10. 2 Ellis G, Whitehead MA, Robinson D, O’Neill D, Langhorne P. Comprehensive geriatric assessment for
older adults admitted to hospital: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ 2011; 27(343): d6553. 3 McD Taylor D, Bennett DM, Cameron PA. A paradigm shift in the nature of care provision in emergency departments. Emerg Med J 2004; 21(6): 681–4.
Disclosure None. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.12358
LETTER
Response to McElwaine and Robinson Linked Comment: McElwaine and Robinson. Int J Clin Pract 2014; 68: 405–6.
To the Editor: I thank McElwaine and Robinson for their letter, particularly for emphasising that as we become better at selecting patients suitable for management in ambulatory settings, the complexity of patients in the hospital environment increases. Allied health intervention has an important role in facilitating discharge from the emergency department for ambulatory care, yielding a positive, albeit modest, impact on discharge rates (1) with an acceptable risk profile (2). As the population burden of frailty and complex chronic illness in
older people increases, refining our knowledge of which groups benefit most from specialist geriatric allied health services will enable better targeting of this valuable resource. G. Arendts, CCREM, WAIMR, Perth, Australia E-mail: [email protected]
rates in older people: a non-randomized clinical study. BMC Geriatrics 2012; 12: 8. 2 Arendts G, Fitzhardinge S, Pronk K, Hutton M. Outcomes in older patients requiring comprehensive allied health care prior to discharge from the emergency department. Emerg Med Australas 2013; 25(2): 127–31.
Disclosure
References
None.
1 Arendts G, Fitzhardinghe S, Pronk K, Donaldson M, Hutton M, Nagree Y. The impact of early emergency department allied health intervention on admission
doi: 10.1111/ijcp.12357
ª 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Int J Clin Pract, March 2014, 68, 3, 403–406
