Elderly patients vulnerable to ‘post-hospital syndrome’
In a recent article, The New York Times dove into the topic of “post-hospital syndrome”—a term Yale University cardiologist Harlan Krumholz, MD, coined in 2013 to describe the period of vulnerability following a hospital discharge.
The syndrome is brought about by the stress and disruption of hospitalizations, including an irregular eating schedule, an unfamiliar environment, interrupted sleep and deconditioning caused by being confined to a hospital bed. It is believed to contribute to the high rate of readmissions among older patients.
“Our general approach in a hospital is, all hands on deck to deal with the problem people come in with,” Krumholz told The Times. “All the other discomforts are seen as a minor inconvenience.”
But the reality of post-hospital syndrome is readmissions are often for different complications than the initial hospitalization. For example, a patient who is weaker and more disoriented after a days-long inpatient visit is more likely to fall in the weeks after they’re discharged home and could arrive back in the hospital with injuries from that incident.
“This is more than inconvenience,” Krumholz said of post-hospital syndrome. “This is toxic. It’s detrimental to people’s recovery.”
The physician said possible ways to battle post-hospital syndrome include allowing patients to wear their own clothes, get out of bed for walks, eat more and schedule tests strictly during daytime hours.
Check out the full story below:
Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.