JAGS Paper: The Current Landscape of Acute Care for Elders Units in the United States
The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has published a research report titled, "The Current Landscape of Acute Care for Elders Units in the United States."
The report studies the implementation of Acute Care for Elders (ACE) units across the United States, specifically how well they adhere to five key elements. ACE units are an evidence-based model of care that aims to reduce the incidence of functional decline for older adults while they are hospitalized. Many of these units are affiliated with Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) and Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS) programs in their respective hospitals. The AFHS 4M's framework is also mirrored in an ACE unit's keys element, and the framework is implemented by the care teams within ACE units.
The five key ACE unit elements are:
- Early plan for discharge
- Early mobilization & physical therapy
- Specialized prepared environment
- Medical care review
- Patient-centered care assessments
The findings identified a low presence of ACE units in hospitals - though estimates were limited by nonresponses to the national survey request - with variable fidelity to the key elements, despite evidence that units have a positive impact on quality and cost indicators.
Read the research report abstract.
