Expert consensus on the nursing management of critically ill elderly patients with coronavirus disease 2019 / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

The novel coronavirus 2019(2019-nCoV)was first detected from patients with pneumonia of an unknown cause in Wuhan in December 2019.It has since been confirmed as the pathogen for the new coronavirus pneumonia, recently named coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) by the WHO.Although the general population is commonly susceptible to the disease, infected elderly people show fast progression and severe manifestations with a high proportion in serious or critical condition as a result of compromised immunity and underlying diseases.In order to improve the quality of nursing management, reduce complications and decrease mortality for critically ill elderly patients, we assembled a national expert group with expertise in critical care nursing to write this consensus, based on a literature review and a subsequent panel discussion.The consensus covers the assessment, clinical nursing management, nursing care following hospital discharge and other aspects of care for critically ill elderly patients with COVID-19, aiming to share insights and provide guidance for clinical practice.