Recommendations for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections in nursing homes / Recomendaciones para la prevención de infecciones en residencias para mayores

Nursing homes (NH) conceptually should look as much like a home as possible. However NH have unquestionable similar ities with a nosocomium as they are places where many pa tients with underlying diseases and comorbidities accumulate. There is evidence of transmission of microorganisms between residents and between residents and caregivers. We have not found any recommendations specifically aimed at the prevention of nosocomial infections in NH by the major Public Health Agencies and, therefore, the Health Sciences Foundation (Fundación de Ciencias de la Salud) has convened a series of experts and 14 Spanish scientific societies to discuss recommendations that could guide NH personnel in establishing written programs for the control and reduction of these infections. The present document is the result of these deliberations and contains suggestions for establishing such control programs on a voluntary and flexible basis in NH. We also hope that the document can help the health authorities to encourage this control activity in the different territorial areas of Spain. In our opinion, it is necessary to draw up a written plan and establish the figure of a coordinator or person respon sible for implementing these projects. The document includes measures to be implemented and ways of quantifying the real ity of different problems and of monitoring the impact of the measures established (AU)

Las residencias de ancianos (NH) aunque conceptualmente deberían parecerse lo más posible a un hogar, tienen induda bles similitudes con un nosocomio ya que son lugares donde se acumulan muchos pacientes con enfermedades de base y comorbilidades y donde la transmisión de microorganismos en tre residentes y entre residentes y cuidadores es frecuente. No hemos encontrado recomendaciones específicamente dirigidas a la prevención de las infecciones nosocomiales en NH por parte de las principales Agencias de Salud Pública y, por ello, la Fundación de Ciencias de la Salud ha convocado a una serie de expertos y a 14 sociedades científicas españolas para de batir recomendaciones que puedan orientar al personal de las NH en el establecimiento de programas escritos para el control y reducción de estas infecciones. El presente documento es el resultado de estas deliberaciones y contiene sugerencias para establecer dichos programas de control de forma voluntaria y flexible. También esperamos que el documento pueda ayudar a las autoridades sanitarias a fomentar esta actividad de control en los distintos ámbitos territoriales de España. En nuestra opi nión, es necesario elaborar un plan por escrito y establecer la figura de un coordinador o responsable de la ejecución de estos proyectos. El documento incluye las medidas a implantar y las formas de cuantificar la realidad de los diferentes problemas y de monitorizar el impacto de las medidas establecidas (AU)

Atención Primaria y personas mayores en las residencias: propuestas de mejora tras la experiencia durante la pandemia / Primary Care and the elderly in nursing homes: proposals for improvement after the experience during the pandemic

Con este artículo hemos querido acercarnos a la visión que desde la Atención Primaria (AP) tenemos sobre lo que ha supuesto la pandemia de la COVID-19 en la población mayor y particularmente en las personas ancianas que viven en residencias. La situación previa de los centros residenciales ha influido durante la pandemia en un elevado número de fallecimientos, aislamiento social y problemas de salud derivados. Las personas de estos centros son generalmente más vulnerables, frágiles, dependientes y longevas, pero estos condicionantes no justifican el nivel de contagios y mortalidad por sí mismos. En los momentos de mayor dureza de la crisis sanitaria, se activaron una serie de respuestas sociales y sanitarias variadas y diversas en cada comunidad autónoma. Algunas de estas tuvieron carácter urgente y terminaron por originar diferentes estrategias y/o nuevos modelos de atención y gestión de las residencias. En algunos casos, estos cambios se siguen manteniendo. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar algunas de las principales medidas que se llevaron a cabo, los cambios que se implementaron, los puntos en común, el consenso en la toma de decisiones, la evidencia sobre la que se basaron, los aspectos éticos y legales que inspiraron estas estrategias y los resultados en salud obtenidos. Atendiendo a lo comentado, el grupo hace una serie de propuestas de mejora de cara al futuro.(AU)

This article aims to get closer to the vision from the perspective of primary care about what the COVID 19 pandemic has entailed in the elderly population and especially in those who live in nursing homes. During the pandemic, the previous situation of residential centres has led to a high number of deaths, social isolation and derived health problems. People in these centres are in general more vulnerable, frail, dependent and long-lived. However, these conditions do not in themselves justify the level of infections and mortality. In the most difficult moments of the health crisis, a series of varied and diverse social and health responses were activated according to the different Autonomous Communities. Some were urgent in nature and ended up giving rise to different strategies and/or new care and management models for nursing homes. In some cases, these changes are still maintained. The aim of the article is to analyze some of the main measures that were performed; the changes implemented, the points in common, the consensus in decision-making, the evidence on which they were based, the ethics and legal aspects that inspired these strategies and the health outcomes obtained. In response to what has been said, the group makes a series of proposals for improvement in the future.(AU)

[PAPPS update on older people 2022]. / Actividades preventivas en el mayor. Actualización PAPPS 2022.

This article examines the latest available evidence on preventive activities in the elderly, including sleep disorders, physical exercise, deprescription, cognitive disorders and dementias, nutrition, social isolation and frailty.

Fragilidad en atención primaria: diagnóstico y manejo multidisciplinar / Frailty in primary care: Diagnosis and multidisciplinary management

El envejecimiento poblacional se asocia a un mayor uso de recursos sociales sanitarios, asociados a la mayor morbimortalidad y discapacidad de este grupo etario. La fragilidad es un síndrome geriátrico previo a la aparición de la dependencia funcional, que permite la identificación de individuos de mayor riesgo de dependencia, institucionalización, efectos adversos de fármacos, mortalidad y otros eventos negativos de salud. Este síndrome es potencialmente reversible con una intervención multicomponente. La atención primaria de salud es el lugar preferente para el diagnóstico y seguimiento de la fragilidad, a través de escalas como la FRAIL scale, el fenotipo de Fried o modelos de acumulación de déficits. Para el seguimiento se precisa la intervención multidimensional y coordinada de diferentes profesionales sanitarios y sociales, con la implicación del paciente y su familia. Se debe fomentar la investigación para determinar las intervenciones más eficaces y los cursos clínicos más frecuentes.(AU)

Population aging is associated with a greater use of social and health resources, associated with greater morbidity, mortality and disability in the elderly. Frailty is a geriatric syndrome prior to the onset of functional decline, which allows the identification of individuals at higher risk of dependency, institutionalization, adverse effects of drugs, mortality and other negative health events. This syndrome is potentially reversible with a multicomponent intervention. Primary health care is the preferred place for the diagnosis and follow-up of frailty, through scales such as the FRAIL scale, the Fried phenotype or deficit accumulation models. Follow-up requires the multidimensional and coordinated intervention of different health and social professionals, with the involvement of the patient and their family. Research should be encouraged to determine the most effective interventions and the most common clinical courses.(AU)

Deprescripción en personas mayores: es el momento de pasar a la acción / Deprescription in old people: It's time to take action

El uso de fármacos conlleva innegables beneficios en las personas mayores, pero no está exento de efectos indeseables. La deprescripción es el proceso de revisión sistemática de la medicación con el objetivo de lograr la mejor relación riesgo-beneficio en base a la mejor evidencia disponible. Este proceso es especialmente importante en mayores polimedicados, sobretratados, frágiles, con enfermedades terminales y en el final de la vida.La deprescripción debe hacerse de forma escalonada, estableciendo un seguimiento estrecho por si aparecen problemas tras la retirada. En la toma de decisiones es muy importante contar con la opinión del paciente y de los cuidadores, valorando los objetivos del tratamiento según la situación clínica, funcional y social del enfermo.Existen múltiples herramientas para facilitar a los clínicos la tarea de seleccionar qué fármacos deprescribir (criterios Beers, STOPP-START…). Los grupos farmacológicos más susceptibles de intervención son: antihipertensivos, antidiabéticos, estatinas, benzodiacepinas, antidepresivos, anticolinérgicos, anticolinesterásicos y neurolépticos.(AU)

The use of drugs has undeniable benefits to the elderly, but it is not exempt from undesirable effects. Deprescription is the process of systematic medication review with the target of achieving the best risk-benefit ratio based on the best available evidence. This process is especially important for polymedicated elderly patients as well as those overtreated, frail, terminally ill and at the end of life.The deprescription must be done in stages, establishing a close follow-up in case problems appear after withdrawal. In the decision-making process, it is very important to consider the patient and caregivers opinion, assessing the objectives of the treatment according to the clinical, functional and social situation of the patient.There are multiple tools to make it easier for clinicians to select which drugs to deprescribe (Beers criteria, STOPP-START…). The most susceptible to intervention pharmacological groups are: antihypertensives, antidiabetics, statins, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, anticholinergics, anticholinesterase agents, and neuroleptics.(AU)

[Deprescription in old people: It's time to take action]. / Deprescripción en personas mayores: es el momento de pasar a la acción.

The use of drugs has undeniable benefits to the elderly, but it is not exempt from undesirable effects. Deprescription is the process of systematic medication review with the target of achieving the best risk-benefit ratio based on the best available evidence. This process is especially important for polymedicated elderly patients as well as those overtreated, frail, terminally ill and at the end of life. The deprescription must be done in stages, establishing a close follow-up in case problems appear after withdrawal. In the decision-making process, it is very important to consider the patient and caregivers opinion, assessing the objectives of the treatment according to the clinical, functional and social situation of the patient. There are multiple tools to make it easier for clinicians to select which drugs to deprescribe (Beers criteria, STOPP-START…). The most susceptible to intervention pharmacological groups are: antihypertensives, antidiabetics, statins, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, anticholinergics, anticholinesterase agents, and neuroleptics.

[Frailty in primary care: Diagnosis and multidisciplinary management]. / Fragilidad en atención primaria: diagnóstico y manejo multidisciplinar.

Population aging is associated with a greater use of social and health resources, associated with greater morbidity, mortality and disability in the elderly. Frailty is a geriatric syndrome prior to the onset of functional decline, which allows the identification of individuals at higher risk of dependency, institutionalization, adverse effects of drugs, mortality and other negative health events. This syndrome is potentially reversible with a multicomponent intervention. Primary health care is the preferred place for the diagnosis and follow-up of frailty, through scales such as the FRAIL scale, the Fried phenotype or deficit accumulation models. Follow-up requires the multidimensional and coordinated intervention of different health and social professionals, with the involvement of the patient and their family. Research should be encouraged to determine the most effective interventions and the most common clinical courses.

Health Problems Encountered by Short-Term European Volunteers in a Nongovernmental Organization in Cambodia.

Short-term volunteers are susceptible to a wide spectrum of morbidities, mostly infectious diseases preventable with general hygiene and preventive measures. This study aimed to identify the health problems encountered by European short-term volunteers collaborating for 1 month with a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Cambodia and to describe their characteristics. A prospective, descriptive observational study was conducted on short-term volunteers who collaborated with an NGO in Cambodia during August 2018. Informed consent and sociodemographic, clinical, and preventative health-related questionnaire data were provided by 198 volunteers. The health problems encountered were confirmed in a primary care consultation with healthcare professionals. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed. The median age of the volunteers was 22 years (interquartile range = 21-24), and 64% were women. Some (18.2%) had allergies, 8.6% had preexisting health conditions, and 10.6% were under regular treatment. A total of 77.3% visited a pretravel consultation clinic, 39.9% completed a specific pretravel health course, 21.7% took malaria prophylaxis, 92.4% received hepatitis A vaccination, and 82.3% received typhoid fever vaccination. Medical assistance was sought by 112 (57.3%) of the volunteers. The average number of health problems was 2.5 (standard deviation = 1.5), and the total number of health problems attended by the medical team was 279. The most common health problems were upper respiratory infections (12.2 per 1,000 person/days), wounds (10.8 per 1,000 person/days), and diarrhea (6.3 per 1,000 person/days). Short-term volunteers experienced a high rate of health problems during their stay in Cambodia, but most of the problems were mild and preventable and resolved quickly. Pretravel consultation and specific pretravel health training seemed to increase disease awareness.

[Vision of the management of frailty in Primary Health Care.] / Visión del manejo de la fragilidad en Atención Primaria.

Primary Care (PC) and community are the priority health sites for the detection and management of frailty. There are good guidelines (Strategy and consensus of the National Health Service, ADVANTAGE European Joint Action, recommendations of the Program of Prevention and Health Promotion Activities of the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine PAPPS-semFYC, Fisterra guideline); however, its implementation is not taking place with the expected magnitude or speed, also considering the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The detection and management of frailty requires multidisciplinary work by professionals who usually carry out their activity at the first level of care (physicians, nurses, social workers), with others whose integration is advisable (nutritionists, physiotherapists, etc.); and counting on others of reference (geriatricians). On the other hand, it is necessary to work with comprehensive approaches based on good coordination between PC and the Community, with various experiences in this regard. The support by the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can be very interesting, with tools for both users and careers (e.g., VIVIFRAIL), as well as for social and health professionals (e.g., VALINTAN or WHO ICOPE-Handbook App). Strategies to intervene in fragility in a more effective and systematic way must be consolidated: with an adequate professional training, establishment of campaigns and dissemination ways for visualizing its relevance and extend their intervention, prioritization of the most effective programmed assistance activities (highlighting fragility), multidisciplinary work with coordination and participation of the different healthcare and community levels and of the patients themselves, and providing the PC with adequate resources.

La Atención Primaria (AP) y la comunidad constituyen el medio asistencial primordial para el manejo de la fragilidad. Se cuenta con buenas directrices (Estrategia y Consenso del Sistema Nacional de Salud, Acción Conjunta Europea ADVANTAGE, recomendaciones del Programa de Actividades de Prevención y de Promoción de la Salud de la Sociedad Española de Medicina familiar y Comunitaria: PAPPS-semFYC, guía Fisterra...); no obstante, su implantación no se está dando con la magnitud ni rapidez esperada, considerando también la influencia de la pandemia por la COVID-19. La detección y manejo de la fragilidad exige un trabajo multidisciplinar de profesionales que habitualmente desarrollan su actividad en el primer nivel asistencial (profesionales de medicina, enfermería y trabajo social), junto con otros cuya integración es aconsejable (nutricionistas, fisioterapeutas, etc...) y contando con otros profesionales de referencia (geriatras). Por otro lado, es necesario trabajar con enfoques integrales basados en una buena coordinación entre AP y la Comunidad, existiendo diversas experiencias en este sentido. El apoyo de las Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC) puede ser muy interesante, existiendo herramientas tanto para usuarios y personas cuidadoras (por ej. VIVIFRAIL), como para profesionales sociosanitarios (por ej. VALINTAN o WHO ICOPE-Handbook App). Deben consolidarse las estrategias para intervenir en fragilidad de una manera más efectiva y sistemática: con la formación adecuada de los profesionales, establecimiento de campañas y difusión que hagan visualizar la relevancia y extender su intervención, priorizando las actividades asistenciales programadas más efectivas (destacando la fragilidad), a través del trabajo multidisciplinar con coordinación y participación de los diferentes niveles asistenciales y comunitarios y de los propios pacientes, y dotando de medios y recursos a la AP.

La semFYC se alínea con la OMS en la creación de centros de salud amigables con los mayores / The semFYC aligns with the WHO in the creation of age-friendly primary care centers

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[PAPPS GdT Major 2020 Update]. / Actualización PAPPS GdT Mayor 2020.

In this update, we have introduced new topics that we believe are of vital importance in the major areas, such as the revision of walking aids, as well as recommendations on nutrition and social isolation. Recommendations on deprescribing, fragility, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia have already been presented in previous updates.

La semfyc quiere potenciar la investigación en el área del envejecimiento / Semfyc wants to potentiate research in the aging area

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Actividades preventivas en los mayores. Actualización PAPPS 2018 / No disponible

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Fragilidad en el anciano: del síndrome a la planificación sociosanitaria y legal / Frailty in the elderly: from the syndrome to social, health and legal planification

El envejecimiento poblacional progresivo produce un incremento en las tasas de dependencia y en la presencia de determinadas comorbilidades cuya atención supone una importante carga económica y sociosanitaria. La fragilidad, como síndrome clínicamente detectable, permite identificar a los pacientes con mayor riesgo de deterioro físico, y que van a precisar un mayor nivel de atención médica y social. La detección de la condición de fragilidad en el anciano se relaciona con problemas médico-legales como los relacionados con la capacidad de decidir, el acceso a los recursos sanitarios, la supervisión del paciente y el final de la vida. El texto pretende describir los problemas médico-legales asociados a la condición de fragilidad y evaluar el diagnóstico precoz de la misma como medio para mejorar la calidad del cuidado al anciano, así como su planificación y la toma de decisiones (AU)

Population aging produces a gradual increase in the rates of dependency and the presence of certain comorbidities whose attention is an important economic and social load. Frailty, as a clinically detectable syndrome, can identify patients at increased risk of physical damage that will require a higher level of health and social care. The detection of the condition of frailty in the elderly is related to medical and legal problems, such as those related to the ability to decide, access to health services, patient's supervision and end of life decisions. The text tries to describe the medical and legal problems related to frailty and evaluate early diagnosis of this entity as a way to improve the quality of care provided as well as the planning of the elder's care and decision making in advance (AU)

Fibrilación auricular desencadenada por crisis epilépticas tónico-clónicas generalizadas / Atrial fibrillation triggered by generalized tonic-clonic epileptic seizures

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