October 22, 2007
Elderly not receiving proper amount of care
First we learned that children were getting less care than adults. Now it seems the elderly are also receiving less than optimal care.
From HealthDay:
The study found that vulnerable elderly patients -- those at risk of death or functional decline -- received only 65 percent of tests and other diagnostic evaluations and treatments recommended for a number of illnesses and conditions, including diabetes and heart disease.
"Thirty-five percent of the medical care interventions they should have received were not provided, indicating significant room for improvement. We'd much rather have everything higher -- say, at least 90 percent," lead author Dr. David S. Zingmond, assistant professor of general internal medicine and health services research at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.
The original study can be found in the journal Medical Care.