Mobile electronic technology allows health care professionals to access the resources for treating older adults when and where they need them. Now, nurses working with our aging population can add a new tool to their toolbox with the ConsultGeriRN iPad app, developed by New York University’s (NYU) Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing. This app, based on the Hartford Institute’s web site, ConsultGeriRN.org, delivers evidence-based information and tools for treating common health problems that many providers encounter with their older patients every day.
Clinicians use the app by first selecting the topic of care for which they need assistance. Current topics include delirium, agitation, confusion, fall prevention, and post-fall evaluation. After selecting the topic of care, the provider answers a series of questions to evaluate the patient and determine a course of prevention or treatment. The app also directs providers to additional resources including “Try This: ®,” an online series of 52 assessment tools for geriatric care also developed by the Hartford Institute.
Dr. Tara Cortes, the Institute’s Executive Director and professor of Geriatric Nursing at NYU, says this app was designed to meet the needs of health care providers who don’t have unique knowledge or experience in caring for older adults. ConsultGeriRN gives them access to information on assessing and meeting the needs of unique geriatric syndromes “at their finger tips.” The app is also being used to teach health care professionals about geriatric care, and faculty members at the NYU College of Nursing have described the app as “fabulous for teaching purposes.”
Already the app is being used by health care professionals to improve the care of older patients, but the luminaries at the NYU College of Nursing are only gaining momentum. Accessibility and availability are crucial for the success of any mobile app, and, in addition to its current iteration on the iPad, developers are working to complete a version of the app fully integrated with the iPhone. Moving forward, Dr. Cortes hopes to expand the list of conditions from the original 5 to 20, as well as develop a new app to help primary care physicians access evidence-based best practices for treating patients with dementia.
While it is known that older Americans only receive 30% of recommended care, we are proud to recognize Dr. Cortes and her team for their efforts to bridge the gap between recommendations and on-the-ground care with their new ConsultGeriRN iPad app.
This is the sixth in an occasional series. See other Health AGEnda posts on Tools You Can Use:
Tools You Can Use: Detecting Cognitive Impairment During the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
Tools You Can Use: Preparing a Personal Advance Care Plan
Tools You Can Use: Guidelines for Assessing Patients Facing Surgery
Tools You Can Use: Principles for Treating Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions