Research and Development
The overall goal for the department is to provide
enough physicians skilled in the care of the elderly to meet the future needs
for our region. Because of the integration of geriatrics throughout the medical
school curriculum, the residency training programs, and medical practices,
the department also plans to ensure that physicians, regardless of the medical
specialty, will know how to provide better care for our older adults.
 Geriatric Trauma Research
The department’s current area of focus is geriatric trauma. Personnel
from the Departments of Surgery and Emergency Medicine recognized the gaps
in trauma assessment that may happen when elderly or frail patients present
at a hospital or trauma center. Surgeons Peter Ekeh, M.D., Mary McCarthy,
M.D., and Kathryn Tchorz, M.D, and emergency medicine physician John Michael
Ballester, M.D., are working alongside the Department of Geriatrics in the
research of non-hip-fracture traumas in the elderly. Soon the Department
of Orthopaedic Surgery, which cares for hip fractures in the elderly, will
join this research into hospitalized elder care.
Long-term plans include research and development of new trauma-related assessments
for the elderly. Current assessments for trauma care were mostly
developed through the U.S. military. These criteria may not be ideal for
assessment of the elderly or frail elderly patient.
With hospital admittance of the frail elderly in the Miami Valley at more
than 1,200 patients per year, re-evaluation of trauma of the elderly is a
critical educational element.
Diagnosis of Delirium in the Acute Care Setting
A recent research project completed by second-year medical student Nicole
Zanin through the Department of Geriatrics is, Diagnosis of Delirium
in the Acute Care Setting. Funded by a Boonshoft School of Medicine
seed grant, the research was performed in collaboration with geriatric clinical
nurse specialists at Miami Valley and Good Samaritan Hospitals. Through a
survey of more than 200 hospital care workers, researchers were able to elucidate
direct care workers’ conceptualization of delirium and propose methods
to facilitate earlier recognition. The ultimate goal is to develop a computer-based
educational module for hospital workers that will allow them to recognize,
assess, and manage delirium more efficiently.
For more information, contact:
Larry W. Lawhorne, M.D.
Chair and Professor
Department of Geriatrics
Boonshoft School of Medicine
Elizabeth Place, East Medical Building
Fifth Floor, Suite J
627 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd.
Dayton, OH 45408-1461
Charles Beckley II
Administrative Assistant
charles.beckley@wright.edu
Phone: (937) 331-9167
Fax: (937) 331-9169
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