Abstract
Acute illness often presents atypically in long-term care patients. Atypical presentation refers to the lack of one or more symptoms or signs that usually indicate acute illness. Due to underlying medical illness, nursing home patients with acute infection, metabolic disorders, and even surgical emergencies frequently present with delirium, malaise, or weakness. Nursing assistants are often the first to recognize these non-specific indicators. It is imperative that researchers include assessments by nursing assistants when developing and validating tools to recognize early but atypical indicators of disease.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 56-58 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Geriatrics and Aging |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| State | Published - Jul 2004 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Atypical presentation
- Delirium
- Long-term care facility
- Non-specific symptoms
- Nursing assistants
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Aging
- Gerontology
- Geriatrics and Gerontology