How to minimize infectious health risks for elderly people (based on focus group data)

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UDC: 
616.9-053.9-092.12-084: 301
DOI: 
10.21668/health.risk/2022.1.08.eng
Authors: 

A. Yagodina, I. Serova, U. Maslov, S. Korotin

Organization: 

Perm State Medical University named after Academician E.A. Wagner, 26 Petropavlovskaya Str., Perm, 614990, Russian Federation

Abstract: 

This literature review focuses on practices aimed at mitigating infectious health risks for elderly people in acute care inpatient hospitals with multiple specializations. We revealed a necessity to create medical information centers; common reference centers for PCR diagnostics, sequencing, plasmid analysis, and MULDI-TOF; as well as to provide support and further development of bacteriological and hygienic service in medical and preventive organizations. Our review also dwells on theoretical solutions to issues related to minimizing infection risks in nursing homes and prospective approaches to providing infectious safety at home. A focus group was organized on May 20, 2021 at the E.A. Wagner’s Perm State Medical University of the RF Public Healthcare Ministry with its aim being to implement theoretical approaches into practices of minimizing infectious health risks for elderly people in Perm region within the “aging in place” paradigm. The sociological explication made it possible to fix the regional agenda on minimizing infectious heath risks for elderly people as per three basic directions: by improving living conditions, by improving care provided for elderly people at home, and by making elderly people’s lives more active as a way to support their immunity.

All the discussion participants unanimously agreed both on assigning the primary role to the strengthened immunity as a way to minimize infectious health risks and on obvious absence of any drugs which would be able to resolve the issue. Experts believe adherence to conventional recommendations on how to improve elderly people’s immunity to be fundamental for infection risk mitigation. We should remember that some elderly people live in improper housing which should be renovated and adapted to basic needs of an elderly person. It is also important to develop the city environment taking into account elderly people’s habits and needs (they should be provided with a special place in the yard where they can communicate with each other, play board games or do physical exercises). Financial support should be given to “Inpatient hospital at home” program and to developing tools used to promptly minimize infection risks, for example, telemedicine which allows detecting certain alerting symptoms typical for communicable diseases (fever, complaining about cough and running nose, pains in the lumbar spine, decreased diuresis etc.)

Keywords: 
sociology of medicine, infection risks, infectious safety, stereotypes of medical care, elderly patients, transmission routes of hospital acquired infections, vaccination, immunity
Yagodina A., Serova I., Maslov U., Korotin S. How to minimize infectious health risks for elderly people (based on focus group data). Health Risk Analysis, 2022, no. 1, pp. 72–84. DOI: 10.21668/health.risk/2022.1.08.eng
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Received: 
11.11.2021
Approved: 
26.02.2022
Accepted for publication: 
11.03.2022

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