The Impact of a Geriatric Trauma Unit on Patient Outcomes

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the impact of admitting geriatric trauma patients to one unit. The geriatric trauma unit incorporated the tenets of a geriatric friendly hospital environment as identified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in the 2023 Geriatric Trauma Best Practice Guidelines. This study demonstrated that the successful operationalization of a geriatric trauma unit was possible at an academic medical center. Preliminary findings suggest that delirium and bedside sitter reduction are two of the early impacts of a geriatric friendly environment. Further work will need to be done to fully operationalize a geriatric best practice care pathway in the future.  

• Understand how to operationalize a geriatric trauma unit. 
• Promote best practices in geriatric trauma care. 
• Know how to support and prepare nursing staff in providing care to this challenging patient population. 

KBN Approval.  This offering for contact hours is provided by the Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA). Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA) is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Kentucky Board of Nursing (KBN). KBN Provider Number: 1-0001.  KBN CE Providership Approval through December 31, 2025.  KBN approval of an individual continuing nursing education provider does not constitute endorsement of program/offering content. 50 minutes = 1.0 KBN Contact Hour. 

Originally offered November 14, 2025. Please be aware any interactive elements of the presentation were only applicable during the live viewing.