213 A Frailty Intervention Therapy Team (FITT) trialling extended hour’s service within a level 3 Emergency Department

Abstract

Abstract Background Older adults with frailty in the Emergency Department (ED) often present with complex needs requiring a holistic approach to their care. Research has shown the effectiveness of Frailty Intervention Therapy Teams (FITT) in the ED to help reduce hospital admissions as well as improve patient and staff satisfaction. Majority of these teams are working standard working hours with many complex patients presenting outside of these times. The aim of this trial was to assess the benefit of providing this service to older adults that present later in the day. Methods Over a one month period an extended hour trial was completed by the 2 Physiotherapists on the FITT which included cover until 6 pm Monday- Friday. The FITT takes a blanket referral system for those ≥75 who present to the ED and all patients reviewed received a routine interdisciplinary assessment. Results Over the month 244 patients were screened by FITT with 18%(n = 44) of the patients screened in the extended hour period. This was an increase in patients assessed compared to the previous month (n = 191). Of these patients 80% were deemed frail (Clinical Frailty Score 4–7). We assessed 55%(n = 135) of patients within 2 hours of presenting to ED compared to 50%(n = 95) in the previous month. Of the patients seen in the extended time frame 32% (14) were discharged directly home & 40% (n = 6) were discharged with a new community referral. The admitted patients had an average length of stay(LOS) of 6.5 days compared to the hospital average length of stay of an admitted patient (10 days). Conclusion Providing an extended hours service enables a larger proportion of frail older adults to be assessed by the FITT. This facilitates an earlier supported discharge and if admitted improve their outcomes while in hospital.