Evaluation of the health level of the elderly: patient care team considerations

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: To understand the differences of physicians, nurses, and social workers in the evaluation of the health status of the elderly. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study, using descriptive statistics. Non-probabilistic sample, consisting of 291 participants from three professional categories: 71 (24.4%) physicians, 192 (66%) nurses, and 28 (9.6%) social workers. We used a questionnaire including the variables: sociodemographic characteristics and instruments used for evaluation. Results: Instruments with greater utility for the evaluation of the elderly: for physicians, Mini Mental State Examination; for nurses, Braden scale; and for social workers, genogram. In the physical examination, the data most collected by physicians and nurses are the vital signs; and by social workers, the condition for performing the Activities of Daily Living. Conclusions: The evaluation of the elderly is based on a diversity of instruments and is an area in which health and social professionals need to share information.