Main description:

The first book designed specifically for hospitalists and otherhospital–based staff who need concise, evidence–based guidance onthe vital topic of caring for older hospitalized patients

Hospitalists′ Guide to the Care of Older Patients is anup–to–date, practical reference in geriatric medicine forhospitalists, as well as other physicians and nurses working in thehospital setting. The book uses numerous tables, figures, andimages to highlight the areas of geriatric medicine that are mostrelevant to hospitalists.

Written by nationally recognized experts, chapters broadlyfollow the course of hospitalization, from admission through dailycare and active management of the transition to post–hospitalsettings, providing practical, evidence–based guidance at eachpoint. Contents include:

• A systematic approach to the care of older patients,emphasizing clinical skills and daily activities that can beimplemented in today′s hospital environment


• Techniques for effective communication with patients and theircaregivers


• Tools and "pearls" for quickly and accurately assessing thewhole patient, including risk for in–hospital complications,function, decision–making capacity, and home support


• Best practices for prevention and management of thecomplications of hospitalization, including delirium, falls,pressure ulcers, and hip fractures


• Specific recommendations in areas with wide practice variation,such as psychopharmacology and nutrition in older hospitalizedpatients


• Practical guidance on complex issues, such as establishinggoals of care, managing patients who lack decision–making capacity,and managing the discharge transition


• Methods to improve the daily work and communication of thewhole hospital team, including physicians, nurses, and otherhealthcare providers

As the population ages, hospitalists are caring for anincreasing number of older patients. This book helps hospitalistsexpand their knowledge, incorporate key clinical skills into dailypractice, build more efficient patient care teams, and teach moreeffectively in today′s fast–paced, complex hospitalenvironment.

Back cover:

The first book designed specifically for hospitalists and otherhospital–based staff who need concise, evidence–based guidance onthe vital topic of caring for older hospitalized patients

Hospitalists′ Guide to the Care of Older Patients is anup–to–date, practical reference in geriatric medicine forhospitalists, as well as other physicians and nurses working in thehospital setting. The book uses numerous tables, figures, andimages to highlight the areas of geriatric medicine that are mostrelevant to hospitalists.

Written by nationally recognized experts, chapters broadlyfollow the course of hospitalization, from admission through dailycare and active management of the transition to post–hospitalsettings, providing practical, evidence–based guidance at eachpoint. Contents include:

• A systematic approach to the care of older patients,emphasizing clinical skills and daily activities that can beimplemented in today′s hospital environment


• Techniques for effective communication with patients and theircaregivers


• Tools and "pearls" for quickly and accurately assessing thewhole patient, including risk for in–hospital complications,function, decision–making capacity, and home support


• Best practices for prevention and management of thecomplications of hospitalization, including delirium, falls,pressure ulcers, and hip fractures


• Specific recommendations in areas with wide practice variation,such as psychopharmacology and nutrition in older hospitalizedpatients


• Practical guidance on complex issues, such as establishinggoals of care, managing patients who lack decision–making capacity,and managing the discharge transition


• Methods to improve the daily work and communication of thewhole hospital team, including physicians, nurses, and otherhealthcare providers

As the population ages, hospitalists are caring for anincreasing number of older patients. This book helps hospitalistsexpand their knowledge, incorporate key clinical skills into dailypractice, build more efficient patient care teams, and teach moreeffectively in today′s fast–paced, complex hospitalenvironment.

Contents:

CONTRIBUTORS vii

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW 1
Brent C. Williams, Preeti N. Malani, and David H.Wesorick

CHAPTER 2 THE HOSPITALIZED OLDER ADULT: COMMUNICATION ANDPHYSICAL EXAMINATION 5
Mark E. Williams

CHAPTER 3 GERIATRIC ASSESSMENT FOR THE HOSPITALIST 17
Brent C. Williams

CHAPTER 4 INFORMED DECISION–MAKING AND THE EVALUATION OFDECISION–MAKING CAPACITY 31
Lisa S. Seyfried, Esther O. Akinyemi, and Scott Y.H. Kim

CHAPTER 5 CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH LIMITED PROGNOSIS:NEGOTIATING GOALS OF CARE AND PLANNING FOR THE END–OF–LIFE 47
Adam D. Marks and Caroline A. Vitale

CHAPTER 6 GERIATRIC PHARMACOTHERAPY 65
Gabe Solomon, Macgregor A. Montaño, and Paul C.Walker

CHAPTER 7 MANAGING BEHAVIORAL DISTURBANCES WITH PSYCHOACTIVEMEDICATIONS: DOS, DON TS, AND MAYBES 93
David C. Belmonte, Jolene Bostwick, and Amy B. Rosinski

CHAPTER 8 ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING NUTRITION INHOSPITALIZED OLDER ADULTS 115
Lauren W. Mazzurco, Joseph Murray, and Caroline A.Vitale

CHAPTER 9 HIP FRACTURE: MANAGING THE MEDICALLY COMPLEX, OLDERSURGICAL PATIENT 141
Paul J. Grant

CHAPTER 10 FALLS AND MOBILITY DURING HOSPITALIZATION 165
Cynthia J. Brown and Donna M. Bearden

CHAPTER 11 PRESSURE ULCERS: A PRIMER FOR THE HOSPITALIST181
Aimée D. Garcia

CHAPTER 12 DELIRIUM 203
Tia R.M. Kostas and James L. Rudolph

CHAPTER 13 TRANSITIONAL CARE PLANNING: ASSURING A SAFE DISCHARGE225
Satyen Nichani, Darius Joshi, and Christopher S. Kim

INDEX 247