Assessment of hospital environments and policies: seeking an age-friendly hospital

Abstract Functional decline is one of the main problems arising from the hospitalization of elderly persons. Hospital environments and policies focused on functionality are crucial for diminishing disabilities associated with hospitalization. This observational study was performed in four internal medicine services and aimed to evaluate the hospital environment and policies as an integral step in implementing the Function-Focused Care (FFC) programme being established in Portugal. The results of the hospital environment analysis suggest that design and product support, while present, are limited given the needs, complexities and specificities of hospitalized elderly persons. Policy evaluation indicated the existence of institutional projects that reflect a concern with functionality. However, more than half of the criteria evaluated need to be developed further in order to integrate the FFC programme. These results highlight that, while these services aim to be more "age-friendly environments", a number of initiatives can and should be undertaken in order to guide the FFC implementation process. This will benefit patients and their families, professionals and institutions.

摘要
功能衰退是老年患者住院期间出现的主要问题之一。注重功能维护的医院环境与相关政策，对于减轻住院相关的功能障碍至关重要。本研究为观察性研究，在4个内科病房开展，旨在评估医院环境与相关政策，作为葡萄牙正在推行的聚焦功能照护（Function-Focused Care, FFC）项目落地的必要环节。医院环境分析结果显示，尽管已配备相关设计与设施支持，但结合住院老年患者的需求、病情复杂性与个体特殊性，此类支持仍存在不足。政策评估结果表明，现有机构项目已体现出对功能维护的重视。然而，为整合该FFC项目，超半数评估指标仍需进一步完善。上述结果表明，尽管这些病房旨在打造更具老年友好属性的环境，但仍可且应当推出多项举措，以指导FFC项目的落地推进。此举将惠及患者及其家属、医护人员与医疗机构。