BACKGROUND: Research into care for older patients in the hospital environment has become an increasingly valuable source of information, as it gives feedback on the quality of hospital care provided. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the self-reported needs of older people in hospital care. METHODS: The scoping review was conducted by searching the following databases: Medline, Web of Science, ProQuest Central, Scopus, Cinahl, PsycINFO and Summon. RESULTS: The search identified articles focusing on older people in hospital care. The majority of these articles address the system and quality of care for seniors at a somewhat general and theoretical level. Met and unmet needs were assessed by a variety of test methods focusing mainly on medical issues (e.g., Mini-Nutritional Assessment, ADLs-activities of daily living, Abbey Pain Scale) and mostly from the perspective of hospital staff, carers and relatives. Only 15 articles used assessments based on information and opinions obtained from the seniors themseAbstract_Paralves (self-reported needs). A thematic analysis revealed seven main themes: conduct and care in emergency departments, dignity, nutritional care, satisfaction of patients' needs, pain, caring with respect, decision-making and spiritual needs. CONCLUSION/DISCUSSION: The results of this scoping review suggest that more attention should be focused on information acquired from the patients themselves, as it is only the patient, however, old or frail, who can offer an accurate perspective on met or unmet needs and the quality of care provided.

Department of Longevity Studies Faculty of Humanities Charles University Prague Czech Republic

See more in PubMed

Nicholson C, Morrow EM, Hicks A et al (2017) Supportive care for older people with frailty in hospital: an integrative review. Int J Nurs Stud 66:60–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2016.11.015 PubMed DOI

Edvardsson D, Nay R (2010) Acute care and older people: challenges and ways forward. Austr J Adv Nurs 27:63–69

Heckman GA, Molnar FJ, Lee L (2013) Geriatric medicine leadership of healthcare transformation: to be or not to be? Can Geriatrics J 16:192–195. https://doi.org/10.5770/cgj.16.89 DOI

Ekdahl A, Anderson L, Friedrichsen M (2010) They do what they think is the best for me: frail elderly patients’ preference for participation in their care during hospitalization. Patient Educ Counsel 80:233–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2009.10.026 DOI

Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J et al (2009) Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. PLoS Med 6:e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097 PubMed DOI PMC

Shamseer L, Moher D, Clarke M et al (2015) Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols PRISMA-P: elaboration and explanation. Syst Rev 349:g7647. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g7647 DOI

Kelley ML, Parke B, Jokinen N et al (2011) Senior-friendly emergency department care: an environmental assessment. J Health Serv Res Policy 16:6–12. https://doi.org/10.1258/jhsrp.2010.009132 PubMed DOI

Tauber-Gilmore M, Addis G, Zahran Z et al (2017) The views of older people and health professionals about dignity in acute hospital care. J Clin Nurs 27:223–234. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.13877 PubMed DOI

Calnan M, Tadd W, Calnan S et al (2013) “I often worry about the older person being in that system”: exploring the key influences on the provision of dignified care for older people in acute hospitals. Ageing Soc 33:465–485. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x12000025 DOI

Bonetti L, Terzoni S, Lusignani M et al (2017) Prevalence of malnutrition among older people in medical and surgical wards in hospital and quality of nutritional care: a multicenter, cross-sectional study. J Clin Nurs 26:5082–5092. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14051 PubMed DOI

Kalfoss M (2010) Quality of life among Norwegian older adults: focus group results. Gerontol Nurs 3:100–112. https://doi.org/10.3928/19404921-20091207-99 DOI

Lambert S, Cheung WY, Davies S et al (2009) Comparison of two tools developed to assess the needs of older people with complex care needs. J Res Nurs 14:421–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987108096972 DOI

Munch L, Tvistholm N, Trosborg I et al (2016) Living with constipation—older people’s experiences and strategies with constipation before and during hospitalization. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-Being 11:1–8. https://doi.org/10.3402/qhw.v11.30732 DOI

Green B, Raymond G, Peardon J et al (2012) “Not just grapes and flowers”: older people’s perspectives on the role and importance of hospital visiting. Qual Ageing Older Adults 13:82–88. https://doi.org/10.1108/14717791211231166 DOI

McLiesh P, Mungall D, Wiechula R (2009) Are we providing the best possible pain management for our elderly patients in the acute-care setting? Int J Evid Based Healthcare 7:173–180. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1609.2009.00138.x DOI

Koskenniemi J, Leino-Kilpi H, Suhonen R (2012) Respect in the care of older patients in acute hospitals. Nurs Ethics 20:5–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733012454449 PubMed DOI

Kluit MJ, Dijkstra GJ, Rooij SE (2018) The decision-making process for unplanned admission to hospital unveiled in hospitalised older adults: a qualitative study. BMC Geriatrics 18:318. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-018-1013-y PubMed DOI PMC

Meide H, Olthuis G, Leget C (2014) Feeling an outsider left in uncertainty—a phenomenological study on the experiences of older hospital patients. Scand J Caring Sci 29:528–536. https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.12187 PubMed DOI

Macmillan TH (2016) Hospital discharge: lost opportunities to promote or maintain older people’s mental health. Qual Ageing Older Adults 17:189–197. https://doi.org/10.1108/qaoa-06-2015-0029 DOI

Hodge DR, Wolosin RJ (2012) Addressing older adults’ spiritual needs in health care settings: an analysis of inpatient hospital satisfaction data. J Soc Serv Res 38:187–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2011.640242 DOI