Malnutrition is a common and often under-recognised problem in hospitalised patients. It is associated with increased risk of infection, poor wound healing, prolonged hospital stay, and higher mortality. Early identification is essential. The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) is a validated and widely used tool to identify adults at risk of malnutrition and guide further
Falls risk assessment is a core component of patient safety in hospital practice. While prevention strategies are essential, they rely on accurate and repeated identification of risk factors. A structured multifactorial falls risk assessment (MFRA) should be completed for at-risk patients on admission and reviewed regularly. This article provides a practical deep dive into how
Delirium is an acute disturbance in attention, awareness, and cognition, commonly seen in hospitalised patients, particularly older adults. It is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and long-term cognitive decline. Despite its prevalence, delirium is often under-recognised. Early identification through structured assessment is essential to allow prompt management and reduce complications. This article
Deconditioning refers to the loss of physical, functional, and cognitive abilities that can occur during hospital admission, particularly in older patients with frailty. It can begin within hours of bed rest and is associated with longer hospital stays, increased dependency, and higher rates of discharge to care homes. Up to 65% of older patients experience
Falls are one of the most common causes of harm to hospitalised patients, particularly in older adults. They can lead to significant morbidity, including fractures, head injury, prolonged admission, and loss of independence. Preventing falls is therefore a key patient safety priority. Effective falls prevention requires a multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach, involving doctors, nurses, physiotherapists,
A fascia iliaca block (FIB) is a regional anaesthetic technique where local anaesthetic is deposited beneath the fascia iliaca to block the femoral, lateral femoral cutaneous, and often obturator nerves. It is commonly used for analgesia in hip and proximal femur fractures, particularly neck of femur fractures. Approaches include the landmark (anatomical) technique, which will be
It is important for resident doctors to understand what the discharge planning process involves so you can have an active role in multidisciplinary team meetings. This article focuses on discharging home with an appropriate package of care but discharge planning also involves discharging to different types of homes (which is discussed in another article). Introduction
Within Geriatric Medicine you are always working as part of a multidisciplinary team and have lots of close interactions with other allied health professionals. In my experience, this means plenty of opportunity for discussion and shared decision making with colleagues, as well as being able to gain knowledge and learn from others’ expertise. This also creates a very supportive environment to work in.
From the Greek: Syn: together & kopein: to cut – referring to a block in blood supply from the body to the brain, most often due a drop in systemic blood pressure. It is defined as (1) temporary and transient (2) a form of loss of consciousness…
As an FY1 in hospital, you will come across lots of patients with dementia. They often have multiple problems requiring longer hospital stays, higher morbidity & mortality. Dementia is a syndrome describing chronic and progressive failure of higher cognitive functions (e.g. memory, planning, emotional control), affecting daily functioning. Types and presentation Knowing the subtype &
