What's Inside
In this toolkit you’ll find resources curated for rural and remote EDs. We’ve included a large selection of education resources, and low-barrier interventions recommended by clinicians working in rural settings.
We recommend viewing our webinar: Caring for Rural Communities in the Geriatric ED, and reading the summary article: Rural and Remote Geriatric ED care.
- Environment Enhancements for Rural EDs
- Screening Tools for Rural EDs
- The Geriatric Comfort Cart
- Rural Telehealth
Senior-Friendly Environment Enhancements for Rural EDs
A rural emergency physician explains three simple interventions to improve care for older adults in a one-minute video.
ViewInterRAI ED Assessment System
The purpose of the interRAI ED System is to help clinicians prioritize and assess vulnerable older patients in order to improve patient safety and quality of care. It helps prioritize often scarce resources for those most in need without imposing a large burden on front-line clinicians.
ViewThe geriatric comfort cart is a low-cost non-pharmacological intervention that can improve patient comfort and ability to communicate.
If a cart is not available in your ED, consider a cleaning caddy with a selection of comfort items.
Non-pharmacologic interventions improve comfort and experience among older adults in the Emergency Department
In this paper, you'll find a list of items for the comfort cart, examples, and results of a study illustrating it's efficacy improving patient comfort, overall experience, and independence.
View & DownloadED-based Models of Telehealth for Older Adults
A rural case study for Telehealth! At 38:40 minutes, Dr. Kevin Curtis discusses Dartmouth-Hitchcock's successful hub and spoke telehealth model, connecting distant physicians to patients requiring care through live audio-video interactions.
ViewRural Telehealth Toolkit
This toolkit is designed for rural hospitals and health systems interested in using telehealth.
ViewGetting started with telehealth for emergency departments
This web page has a checklist of things to consider as you start or expand telehealth services in your ED. The website has more resources on different applications of telehealth including tele-triage or tele-emergency, and follow up care.
ViewBilling for telehealth in the emergency department
Important information on Medicare and Medicaid billing for telehealth int he ED including CPT codes.
ViewEducation for Rural EDs
All of our education modules can be found in the Online Learning section of our website. Here, we’ve curated a list of key educational resources that lay the foundation for improving care for older adults.
- Frailty and Complexity
- Falls and Mobility
- Delirium, Dementia, and Depression
- Elder Mistreatment
- Medication Management
Completion of these modules will provide the clinical background necessary when assessing older adults in your ED.
Frailty in the Older ED Patient
1.0 AMA and ANCC credit
1-hour course exploring the definition and screening of frailty and it's clinical implications.
ViewAtypical Presentations in the Older ED Patient
1.0 AMA and ANCC credit
This module explores the anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology behind atypical presentations in older adults. It discusses history taking, physical exam, and differential diagnosis and will help you the next time you pick up a chart that says “weakness.”
ViewEmergency Management of Falls in the Older ED Patient
1.0 AMA and ANCC credit
1-hour module explores an approach to management of the routine patient who has fallen, and what constitutes an adequate ED work-up of the first-time or frequent faller.
ViewThe Gravity of Mobility Risks and Falls
0.5 AMA and ANCC credit
A 30-minute module exploring morbidity and mortality associated with falls, how normal age-related changes predispose older adults to falling, and common clinical challenges in assessing an older adult who has fallen.
ViewInterventions for Falls Prevention
0.5 AMA and ANCC credit
A 30-minute review of the basics of mobility assessments, specifically for the ED that doesn't have access to a PT or OT consult 24/7.
ViewMobility Risks and Falls Case Study
0.5 AMA and ANCC credit
Evaluate the case of an older adult who has fallen: a familiar situation for nearly every ED shift.
ViewCognitive Impairment in the Older ED Patient
1.0 AMA and ANCC credit
1-hour module introduces screening tools and strategies for managing patients with cognitive impairment in the ED.
ViewBrain Health in the ED: Educational Videos
Educational videos provide insights into challenges with delirium and dementia in the ED and how to provide better care for older adults.
ViewIntroduction to Elder Mistreatment and the EMED Toolkit
0.5 AMA and ANCC credits
This is the essential module to complete if you would like to improve your ability to identify and manage cases of elder mistreatment or neglect in the emergency department.
ViewCritical Topics in Elder Mistreatment
0.5 AMA and ANCC credit/module
Five short modules (20-minutes each) covering topics relevant to the management of cases of elder mistreatment in the ED.
ViewMedication Management in the Older ED Patient
1.0 AMA and ANCC credit
Pain Management in Older Adults in the ED
In this episode we discuss inadequate pain assessment in older adults, opiophobia, lack of current pharmacologic knowledge, and how to better manage pain in older adults in the ED.
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