Despite an overall paucity of interventional research involving critically ill older adults, there is a growing awareness that many of the negative outcomes in older adults associated with a critical care stay can be avoided with evidence-based interventions. Bedrest is common in critical care, and therapeutic repositioning is considered to be essential to prevent complications.20 Elevation of the head of the bed should be at least 30° to minimize the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia21 and to improve oxygenation.22 Hardie and colleagues23 found, in healthy older adults, that oxygenation was better in the sitting position than in the supine position; however, further studies showing the same results in critically ill older patients are needed. Similarly, evidence supports the use of interventions to prevent pressure ulcers, including repositioning and pressure-relieving surfaces in the general population24,25; additional research examining the older adult's response to these interventions is needed.20
Huang and colleagues26 implemented a nurse-led, interdisciplinary initiative that prompted physicians to remove unnecessary urinary catheters, a common source of iatrogenesis in older adult patients.27 This intervention significantly reduced the duration of urinary catheterization, rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), and additional cost of antibiotics to manage CAUTI.26
The critical care setting also has important implications for the transitional care needs of the older adult patients. Kleinpell28 demonstrated that older patients who were screened in the intensive care unit (ICU) using the Discharge Planning Questionnaire reported more readiness for discharge than patients in the control group. They were also more likely to report that they had adequate information, were less concerned about managing their care at home, knew their medicines, and knew danger signals indicating potential complications.
A growing number of quality initiatives recognize the geriatric imperative to promote and maintain functional ability. Early mobilization, including for those patients who are mechanically ventilated, is not only feasible29 but also associated with a shorter critical care unit stay and hospital stay, at no extra cost.30 These types of interventions rely on nursing expertise and commitment. The critical care setting is highly collaborative, but it is the critical care nurse who plays a central role by coordinating care, making sure that guidelines are followed, anticipating problems, assessing response to treatment, and communicating with the patient and family on an ongoing basis.
Multiple national initiatives and organizations (eg, National Quality Forum,31 Institute for Healthcare Improvement,32 and Institute of Medicine33) have focused on patient safety and improving patient outcomes for patients in general. However, systemic barriers to improving the safety and overall quality of care persist, undermining efforts to embed evidence-based practices. Hospital staffing and expectations, organizational culture, ways in which teams work together, and institutional procedures all have a significant impact upon care delivery.34
Compounding the common organizational impediments to promoting practice change are 2 issues specific to the care of hospitalized older adults. First, given that the majority of clinicians (nurses, physicians, and others) have received very little formal educational preparation on the care of the hospitalized older adult, there is a pervasive geriatric knowledge gap.35 Second, although care of the older patient requires the collective expertise of an interdisciplinary team, this is not uniformly enforced or even recognized.36 Although disciplines such as rehabilitation and social work provide essential components to a comprehensive geriatric evaluation, they are not commonly included in the care delivery team, especially in the critical care setting.34 Other impediments to improving geriatric care include negative attitudes toward aging and competing initiatives, such as other organizational initiatives including specialty programs (eg, heart programs, stroke programs) that, when examined, typically include older adults as core consumers.
In summary, a combination of factors impacts practice change around care of older adults. These impediments have profound implications for the most vulnerable patient: the critically ill older adult in the critical care environment.37 Thus, initiatives designed to improve quality require a systemic approach, one that includes building geriatric competency at all levels, while modifying the social and physical environment to make it more elder friendly.