Implications of surgery in very elderly patients

As the number of people more than 75 years of age increase, the demands on ambulatory day surgery, operating room, and PACU nurses will increase. Nurses recognize the changes that this "graying" patient population will force on hospitals' surgical units. There is a paucity of studies on the educational needs of operating room nursing staffs responsible for the care of elderly patients. How can these needs best be met? What additional staffing is needed to cope with the increasing numbers of older patients who do not move or respond as quickly as younger patients? Research is needed in every step of the nursing process and its application to the care of very elderly patients undergoing surgery. This frail and unstable population does not easily lend itself to empirical research design; however, findings on the impact of nursing procedures, such as prevention of postoperative joint pain and hypothermia, can increase patient safety and comfort.