Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S N Hill.
Inhalation of foreign bodies is usually associated with acute respiratory symptoms. We report a case of an elderly woman who died from pneumonia due to covert tablet inhalation. Clinicians caring for the elderly should consider this as a possible cause for pneumonia which fails to respond to usual therapy.
Permanent loss of mobility has profound physical and mental consequences for both sufferers and carers, and is a major challenge to the National Health Service. A recent study has shown that 42% of beds in departments of Geriatric Medicine are occupied by people with longstanding immobility. These people are highly dependent on nursing staff for their daily activities and quality of life. The assessment of mobility, as a single parameter of dependency, and the measurement of allocated nursing hours are both rapidly and easily performed on geriatric wards. It is felt that a simple correlation of these two variables might highlight areas where more detailed audit is desirable. This study demonstrates that the more immobile patients on a ward, the less the hours allocated to Registered and Learner grade nurses. Some possible reasons for this are suggested and the effects of this deployment on nursing practice and staff recruitment are discussed. It is felt that provision of appropriate nursing care to the most dependent patients in continuing care areas is essential, and that high levels of trained staff are needed to ensure this.
Many geriatric beds are occupied by bedfast patients. Most were immobile from the time of admission and many were admitted from other hospital departments or residential care. More are discharged home than remain in hospital or are transferred to any other institution. Although a small minority of admissions become long-term bedfast inpatients this group require a disproportionate resource commitment. Reduction in the number of bedfast inpatients is more likely to be effected by changes in unit policy than by improvement in clinical practice.