The patient presenting with 'acopia'
Granger, K.; Ninan, S.; Stopford, E.
Acute Medicine 12(3): 173-177
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 1747-4892 PMID: 24098878 Document Number: 15505
Patients may be referred to Acute Medical Units (AMUs) with a diagnosis of 'acopia'. This term is offensive and lazy, implying fault on the part of the patient and allowing the assessing doctor to erroneously label the patient as a 'social admission' when, in fact, such patients are likely to be frail with co-morbidities and have an acute (potentially reversible) illness. Frail older patients should be assessed using the principles of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, informed by an understanding of the concept of frailty and of geriatric syndromes such as falls and delirium.
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