Representing 24,000 Nurses
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caring with one voice
FAST FACTS (2002)
Older adults are health care’s CORE business, representing:
48% of hospital days
46% of patients in critical care
69% of home care services
90% of nursing home residents
Older adults with co-existing medical conditions and dementia use a
disproportionate share of services:
Average length of stay and cost in hospitals are 2x greater for persons <
65 with dementia and diabetes as compared to diabetes alone.
>50% of residents in nursing homes have co-existing medical conditions and
dementia
Hospitals fail to appreciate that older patients are most likely to have
costly adverse health care events named in the IOM Report To Err is Human:
Building a Safer Health System (1999):
Pressure ulcers
Medication errors
Delirium
Physical restraint use
Older adults cared for by professional nurses (RNs) competent in aging are
less likely to experience adverse health care events. Unfortunately, very
few RNs are competent in aging:
<1% of the 2.2 million practicing RNs are certified in geriatrics
Only 23% of BSN nursing programs require a course in geriatrics
60% of BSN nursing programs have no geriatric faculty
The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, with links to premier nursing
and health care organizations, promotes geriatric competence through
programs for:
Nursing schools
Nursing specialty associations
RNs in hospitals, home care and nursing homes
Nurse practitioners and clinical specialists
Nurse researchers
Policy makers
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