Abstract
Do doctors working in emergency care settings have the time or inclination to undertake a structured social assessment of older patients? This study suggests they are willing but that pressure on doctors’ time may constrain the implementation of such a framework
Junior doctors working in accident and emergency (A&E) departments and other emergency settings soon learn the art of clerking patients speedily. They act as gatekeepers; their aim is to collate sufficient clinical information, also known as ‘patient history’, to facilitate a decision, such as a referral to other on-call teams or to expedite a discharge/transfer to other settings. Taking a social history forms part of the process known as ‘clerking’, yet there has never been any formal training for this part of the history-taking process for medical students.
Junior doctors working in accident and emergency (A&E) departments and other emergency settings soon learn the art of clerking patients speedily. They act as gatekeepers; their aim is to collate sufficient clinical information, also known as ‘patient history’, to facilitate a decision, such as a referral to other on-call teams or to expedite a discharge/transfer to other settings. Taking a social history forms part of the process known as ‘clerking’, yet there has never been any formal training for this part of the history-taking process for medical students.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 16-18, 20-21 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Nursing older people |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2005 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Accident and emergency
- Multidisciplinary assessment
- Older people: services
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Gerontology