New approach to help vulnerable old people in hospitals

The new approach will help commissioners and hospitals identify this group of people, evaluate their outcomes and improve services to be more responsive to their needs

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A new approach has been developed to identify frail, old people in the hospital. A new research has been conducted by the University of Leicester, where experts have devised a 'risk score' which will be used to help frail older people have better support in hospital. Using the concept of frailty (which captures vulnerability), researchers have created a risk score that will help identify older people who are more vulnerable.

This will help commissioners and hospitals identify this group of people, evaluate their outcomes and improve services to be more responsive to their needs. Researcher Simon Conroy said, 'Leicester researchers are leading the way in improving outcomes for older people with frailty who have to come to the hospital. Many older people attend hospitals throughout the UK every day, but some are more vulnerable than others'.

'The 'Hospital Frailty Risk Score' was able to identify older people at significantly increased risk of harms, longer stays in hospital and readmission following discharge from hospital', Conroy continued.

The researchers concluded, 'It is hoped that by identifying and focussing upon this high-risk group that hospitals will be able to provide more holistic care to vulnerable older people to improve their outcomes.' The research appears in the journal The Lancet.

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