SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-The Current Landscape of Acute Care for Elders Units in the United States

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This document summarizes a cross-sectional survey study on Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Units in U.S. hospitals. ACE Units are evidence-based hospital care models designed to improve safety and functional independence in older adults. They are built around five core components: patient-centered assessments, medical care review, a specialized environment, early mobilization, and early discharge planning.<br /><br />The study’s objectives were to determine how common ACE Units are in the U.S. and to describe how consistently the five essential components are implemented. Researchers used the Definitive Healthcare Database to identify 3,692 hospitals and sent an online survey to hospital representatives.<br /><br />Results showed that ACE Units are rare. Of 2,055 hospitals that responded, only 68 (3.3%) reported having either a currently active or previously open ACE Unit, while 1,987 (96.7%) reported no ACE Unit. Among the hospitals that completed the full survey, 43 had active ACE Units and 7 had closed units.<br /><br />The survey also found variation in implementation across hospitals. Commonly reported features included medication review (96%), mobility or gait assessment (90%), fall-risk assessment (90%), skin integrity assessment (88%), discharge planning on the day of admission (90%), and home activities of daily living needs assessment (88%). Other features included uncluttered hallways (83%), handrails (80%), socializing spaces (70%), and daily tracking of activity (61%).<br /><br />Overall, the study suggests that ACE Units are uncommon in U.S. hospitals, and even where they exist, implementation of the recommended components varies widely.

Asset Subtitle

James D. Harrison

Meta Tag

Author List James D. Harrison, Julia Cremer, Kellie Flood, Mike Malone, Qiao Yu Kuang, Robert Palmer, Stephanie E. Rogers

Category Research

Concept Acute Care for Elders Unit

Concept Hospitalized Older Adults

Concept ACE Unit Prevalence

Concept Patient-Centered Assessment

Concept Medical Review

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization University of California San Francisco

Presenting Author James D. Harrison

Track Geriatrics

Keywords

Acute Care for Elders

ACE Units

hospital survey

older adults

functional independence

patient-centered assessments

early mobilization

discharge planning

U.S. hospitals

geriatric care

Acute Care for Elders Unit

Hospitalized Older Adults

ACE Unit Prevalence

Patient-Centered Assessment

Medical Review