Abstract
Introduction:
With an aging population of major trauma patients admitted to the Southwest Major Trauma Centre, a dedicated team of medics, nurses, and therapists launched a pilot aimed at enhancing the care of frail major trauma patients in a Major Trauma Centre (MTC). This initiative - the Frailty and Trauma Liaison Team (FTLT), focuses on ensuring continuity and quality of care for this vulnerable population in major trauma.
Methods:
It targeted the completion of comprehensive geriatric assessments (CGA) within 72 hours for patients with a Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) score greater than 4 and traumatic injuries. Key components included standardised frailty screening tools to identify at-risk patients upon admission, followed by individualized care planning that integrates geriatric principles with trauma care underpinned by the HECTOR daily assessment. Every morning, 3 to 4 patients from the major trauma ward round were selected based on their CFS, length of stay (LOS), and location. Priority was given to those not located in a Health Care of the Elderly (HCE) ward.
Results:
The average CFS of the patient reviewed was 5.18% with 70% overall having CFS 5 or above. The findings from this pilot indicate that the FTLT were successful in identifying early factors affecting patients including pain management, bowel and bladder care, hydration / nutrition and cognitive / delirium screening that all required interventions to mitigate negative patient outcomes on the ward.
Conclusion:
This multidisciplinary approach fosters collaboration among healthcare providers, patients, and families, ensuring tailored interventions that address specific needs of the frail older patient. Data collection will be crucial in assessing patient outcomes, allowing for continuous improvement of the FTLT model. By implementing this comprehensive framework, it aims to enhance the care and outcomes for frail patients in the major trauma population, contributing to improved standards and outcomes of geriatric trauma