What Factors Affect the Safety & Ethics Challenges of the Elderlyin the Emergency Department"

Introduction: Patient safety is one of the global challenges and a very important issue in the quality of health care. Patient safety means that the patient is safe from any adverse and harmful event while receiving medical services. According to the statistics of the World Health Organization, the population over ۶۰ years old is considered elderly. Aging is a special period of human life, during which changes occur in the shape, function of internal and external organs and cause disturbances in the person's adaptation to the environment, and therefore paying attention to the issues and needs of this stage is a social necessity. With the rapid growth of the population Elderly, the problems and the care and treatment emergencies are also increasing. Emergency centers are one of the most important and common departments that provide services in the field of care and treatment emergencies for the elderly. As a result, it is important to pay attention to the safety of the elderly in these areas.Methods & Materials: SID, Google Scholar, Iran Doc, Pub Med, Science Direct, Scopus, Medline, Web of science databases were reviewed using the keywords “Elderly”, “Pre-hospital emergency”, “Elder Safety”, “Emergency Department”, “Fall”, “Fear of falling”, “Anxiety”, “Attitude”, “Nurses”. All papers were examined according to the purpose of study. The search for articles was conducted during the period ۲۰۱۰-۲۰۲۳. Of the ۷۰ studies examined and selected, ۱۵ were evaluated and analyzed using the inclusion and exclusion criteria for data extraction.Results: From the ۱۵ reviewed articles, it was determined, there are many challenges in the safety of the elderly in the emergency rooms of hospitals and pre-hospitals, and various factors are effective in this field. According to studies; Overcrowding in the emergency department, lack of personnel, Nurses’ Attitudes Toward the Elderly Care, physical and movement changes due to old age, taking different medications, physical and mental condition and chronic diseases, history of falling from the bed, not having a main caregiver along with The elderly and environmental factors are among the factors that play a role in the occurrence of accidents and reducing the safety of the elderly.Conclusion: The safety risks of the elderly in hospital and pre-hospital emergency departments should be identified and planning and decisions should be made to reduce the risks. With comprehensive planning in the field of control and prevention, injury and disability can be prevented in this high-risk age group. It is also suggested that extensive planning and interventions should be done to improve the attitude of nurses and that the care of elderly patients should be entrusted to a trained, experienced and enthusiastic staff.

Keywords:

Elderly , Pre-Hospital Emergency , Elder Safety , Emergency Department , Fall , Fear of Falling , Anxiety , Attitude , Nurses