Let's Make Hospital Stays Easier for Seniors!

Hospitals are always trying to figure out the best ways to check in on their patients. But what if the usual methods aren't working for everyone, especially older adults? Imagine being in a hospital bed, and you're given a form to fill out about how you're feeling. Sounds easy, right? But what if the form is confusing or hard to understand? This is a real issue that hospitals are facing. One way to tackle this problem is by creating better health check-ins for older adults. This is where Patient Reported Outcome Measures, or PROMs, come in. PROMs are a special kind of health check-in that helps doctors and nurses understand how a patient is feeling and what they are experiencing. The goal is to make these check-ins more user-friendly and effective, especially for older adults who might be in the hospital for a while. But here's an idea: why not involve the patients themselves in creating these PROMs? This is called co-design. It means working together with the people who will actually use the system. By doing this, hospitals can create PROMs that are more relevant and easier to use for older adults. Now, let's talk about the challenge. Hospitals are busy places, and older adults often have different needs. So, the idea is to test out this co-designed PROMs system in both acute and sub-acute settings. Acute settings are places like emergency rooms or intensive care units, where things can get very intense and fast. Sub-acute settings are more like rehabilitation or long-term care facilities, where patients stay for a longer time and need ongoing care. The goal is to see if this new system can really work in these different environments. Can it help doctors and nurses get better information about how their patients are doing? Can it make the hospital stay more comfortable and effective for older adults? Why is it so important to get this right? Well, older adults often have complex health needs. They might be dealing with multiple conditions at once, and their health can change quickly. So, having a good way to track how they're feeling can make a big difference in their care. Another thing to consider is the bigger picture. Hospitals are always looking for ways to improve patient care. This new system could be a step in the right direction. By making PROMs more user-friendly and effective, hospitals can provide better care for their patients. Plus, it could help reduce the workload on doctors and nurses, who already have a lot on their plates. But it's not just about the patients and the doctors. It's also about the system itself. Can it be easily integrated into the hospital's existing processes? Will it be cost-effective? These are important questions to consider when testing out a new system. So, the next time you think about hospitals and patient care, remember this: There's always room for improvement. And sometimes, the best way to make things better is to involve the people who will actually use the system. By co-designing PROMs with older adults, hospitals can create a system that works better for everyone.