Geriatric Emergency Medicine

In this episode, Dr Eunizar Omar interviews Dr Colin Ong and Dr Juliana Poh on the  topic of Geri EM! They discuss CFS, safe discharge measures, falls, frailty and gait assessments and more! Tune in to find out more. 

Timestamps

01:03 Tell us about GeriEm in your department?

04:50 Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS): Why it is important, evidence supporting it, and applicability. 

06:03 Falls: What are the issues with the term “mechanical fall”, and what questions should we be asking to uncover the truth behind the fall?

07:51 Minimum falls history; SPLATT mnemonic (Symptoms, Previous falls, Location, Activity, Time of fall, Trauma/ post fall complications)

09:36 Reversible causes of falls to look out for

MAPHD (Medications, visual Acuity, Postural Hypotension, 4 Ds - Delirium, Dementia, Depression, Vitamin D) 

10:47 Gait assessment: Timed up and go test, Gait Speed Test

13:56 Safe alternatives to admissions

17:17 Polypharmacy

High risk meds mnemonic: ABCS (anticholinergics, benzodiazepines and sedating drugs, cardiovascular medications). 

22:33 Safe discharge measures 

24:36 Advice for those who would like to learn more about the GeriEM scene

26:13 Practical takeaways

References

1. Sri-on J, Tirrell GP, Lipsitz LA, Liu SW. Is there such a thing as a mechanical fall? Am J Emerg Med. 2016 Mar;34(3):582-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2015.12.009. Epub 2015 Dec 12. PMID: 26795891; PMCID: PMC6785031.

2. American College of Surgeons Geriatric Trauma Management: Best Practice Guidelines Nov 2023

3. https://www.facs.org/media/ubyj2ubl/best-practices-guidelines-geriatric-trauma.pdf

4. GeriatricsCareOnline.org

5. https://gedcollaborative.com/ 

Credits

Music: Life-line by Colorful Sound via Pixabay 

SGH Podcast Studio

https://semspodcast.buzzsprout.com/