Rooming-in for elderly surgical patients

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Patient Care Interventions
• Hospital Quality Improvement

Background:

• Elderly patients are susceptible to acute confusion (delirium) during hospitalization.
• Hospital-acquired delirium can negatively impact patient outcomes and increase healthcare costs.
• Current care models may not adequately address the psychosocial needs of hospitalized elderly patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the rooming-in intervention for elderly orthopedic patients.
• To compare rooming-in with usual care regarding patient confusion, complication rates, and length of stay.
• To assess the satisfaction of family members and friends participating in the rooming-in intervention.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 24 elderly patients hospitalized for orthopedic surgery.
• Intervention group: Patients had family or friends rooming-in (staying overnight).
• Control group: Patients received usual hospital care without rooming-in.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were observed in the incidence of confusion during hospitalization between the rooming-in and usual care groups.
• Complication rates and length of hospital stay did not differ significantly between the two groups.
• Family members and friends who participated in rooming-in reported a high level of satisfaction with the experience.

Conclusions:

• Rooming-in is a feasible intervention for elderly orthopedic patients.
• While not directly impacting clinical outcomes like confusion or length of stay, rooming-in significantly enhances satisfaction for patient support systems.
• Further research could explore optimizing rooming-in to potentially influence clinical outcomes in geriatric populations.