Background
The Frailty Interdisciplinary Team (FIT) is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary team who provide early identification of frailty associated needs for persons > 75 years who are frail or at risk of developing frailty on presentation to the Emergency Department (ED).
The Team consists of:
- Consultant Geriatrician – Dr Isweri Pillay, Clinical Lead
- Medical Registrar (DIT) – rotating post
- Clinical Specialist Dietitian – Lisa Cronin
- Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist – Marian Lyons
- Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist- Louise Martin
- Clinical Specialist Speech and Language Therapist- Anya Leonard
- Clinical Nurse Specialist – Maria Mulvihill
- Senior Occupational Therapist – Ellen Coakley
- Senior Physiotherapist – Sarah Allen
- Senior Medical Social Worker – Laura Barrett
- Clinical Pharmacist – Eimear Kennedy
- Grade 4 admin – Niamh Spillane
- CNM2 – Bevelyn Mallorca Mupada (GEMS area of ED only)
Team objective:
- To aim for early identification and assessment of frailty in people >75 years old
- To aim for high quality discharge of appropriate patients who present to the ED >75 years old
Base
Working hours:
08:30-16:30 Monday to Friday.
Base
FIT Office, GEMS Area of CUH ED.
Areas covered by the FIT team:
Emergency Department.
Inclusion criteria
- Patients over 75 years old
- Frailty syndromes including:
- Falls and changes in mobility
- Delirium
- Changes in cognition and complications of dementia
- Fractures and musculoskeletal injuries
- Polypharmacy/Adverse Drug Reactions
- Weight loss and malnutrition
Exclusion criteria:
- Patients in Resus
- Need for ICU/HDU bed
- Suspected new stroke/TIA
- Neck of femur # – suspected or confirmed
- Fracture requiring surgical input
- Acute abdominal pain with collapse/GI bleed
- Chest pain/suspected MI
- Head injury with LOC
- Clear need for speciality
- Patient on Bipap/CPAP/Airvo
- Patients with Motor Neuron Disease
CUH FIT Identification Pathway
Patients who present to the ED and deemed to benefit from the FIT service are alerted to the service via the following pathways:
- Direct verbal handover from ED to FIT team Lead at 8am Main ED White Board Huddle
- Contact Team Lead directly using FIT Team Lead phone number (087) 2467650
- All patients are screened using the over 75's dashboard
Telephone Contacts for FIT
- FIT Team Lead: (087) 2467650