Expectations of patients, nurses and physicians in geriatric nursing home emergencies

Objectives To determine contentment with the performance of primary mission emergency care providers. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted using key informant interviews to assess quality of life and self-rated degree of contentment with care in geriatric emergencies. Results Interviews concerning a total of 152 geriatric emergency cases in nursing homes were conducted with patients in 13 (8.6%) cases, geriatric nurses in 132 (86.8%) cases and emergency physicians in 116 (76.3%) cases within a 3-month period. All responding patients as well as the majority of nurses (96.2%) and physicians (79.4%) were content with the quality of emergency care, but showed less contentment with communication (57.6% of nurses; 22.4% of physicians) and with cooperation on-site (57.6% of nurses; 20.7% of physicians). Conclusions Participants perceived a deficit in communication and cooperation on-site. There is a need for intensified education in managing geriatric emergency patients, especially with regard to communication and psychosocial issues.