Characterization of nursing care provided to older adults in an emergency department: a retrospective study in Santiago de Cuba

Introduction: Population ageing has increased the demand for care in emergency departments, where older adults require comprehensive geriatric nursing care due to multimorbidity, frailty, and functional dependence. Objective: To characterize the nursing care provided to older adults treated in the emergency department of the “Roberto Infante Pascual” General Hospital during the period from February to July 2024. Methods: An observational, descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 2,138 patients aged 60 years and older who attended the emergency department during the study period were included. Data were collected through a review of nursing records and emergency department records and analyzed using descriptive statistics with absolute and relative frequencies. Results: Male patients predominated (69.7%). The most frequent diagnoses were nonspecific viral illness (16.3%) and diabetes mellitus (14.4%). Nursing care was primarily focused on monitoring vital signs (100%), surveillance of complications (86.5%), and medication administration (82.3%). Analysis by diagnosis showed that the nursing interventions were generally consistent with the patients’ clinical needs; however, referrals to social work were infrequent (19.6%). Conclusions: Geriatric nursing care in the emergency department was primarily oriented toward immediate clinical stabilization. Although the interventions addressed the most frequent diagnoses, the limited incorporation of comprehensive geriatric assessment and an interdisciplinary approach highlights opportunities to strengthen person-centered care for older adults.