posted on 2025-02-03, 11:40authored byJames David van Oppen, Timothy CoatsTimothy Coats, Simon Conroy, Sarah Hayden, Pieter Heeren, Carolyn Hullick, Shan Liu, Jacinta Lucke, Bill Lukin, Rosa McNamara, Don Melady, Simon P Mooijaart, Tony Rosen, Jay Banerjee
Older people living with frailty are frequent users of emergency care and have multiple and complex problems. Typical evidence-based guidelines and protocols provide guidance for the management of single and simple acute issues. Meanwhile, person-centred care orientates interventions around the perspectives of the individual. Using a case vignette, we illustrate the potential pitfalls of applying exclusively either evidence-based or person-centred care in isolation, as this may trigger inappropriate clinical processes or place undue onus on patients and families. We instead advocate for delivering a combined evidence-based, person-centred approach to healthcare which considers the person’s situation and values, apparent problem and available options.
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Alternative title
Geriatric emergency care: principles of making evidence-based and person-centred decisions