Organization models of providing medical care to elderly patients: world practice

A literature review was conducted to study the experience of different countries in addressing the issues of medical care for the elderly and adapting healthcare systems to the needs of an aging population.

BACKGROUND. In Russia, as in the rest of the world, there is currently a trend towards an aging population, with an increasing proportion of people over the age of retirement and a longer life expectancy. The increasing demand for healthcare services among older adults with age-related conditions places a strain on the healthcare system, and it is crucial to consider this when making decisions about healthcare provision to adapt the healthcare system to the needs of this age group.

OBJECTIVE: Studying the international experience of organizing medical care for the elderly in different countries around the world.

MATERIAL AND METHODS. The work uses the analytical research method and content analysis. The material was prepared based on the search for information in databases: eLIBRARY.RU — scientific electronic library, PubMed, digital scientific library CyberLeninka, Scopus, MSD Reference (Global Medical Knowledge), materials of the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO), data from official Internet resources, and literary sources about the organization of assistance to the elderly and senile in different countries of the world. In total, more than 350 sources were found that address various aspects of providing medical care to the elderly, of which 55 sources were selected that are relevant to the study and meet the 10-year search depth.

RESULTS. The aging of the population is one of the features of the current demographic situation. Elderly people have their own health characteristics due to the increasing number of chronic diseases and require special measures to maintain their health, which in turn requires the adaptation of healthcare systems in order to improve medical care and services. As the aging of the population becomes an increasingly pressing issue, one of the main challenges for healthcare systems around the world is to provide high-quality and accessible medical care to elderly patients.

DISCUSSIONS. This review examines the organization of medical care for the elderly and senile in the current realities in various health systems of the world and studies and systematizes the existing models of geriatric care in various national health systems. Based on the analysis of publications by international authors, the most promising areas of development of medical care for the elderly have been identified, which have the potential for integration regardless of the existing organizational model.

CONCLUSIONS. Models of organizing medical care for the elderly vary from country to country, depending on the economic, social, cultural, and other characteristics of each country, and are characterized by continuous processes of structural transformation. The most effective models of care for older adults are based on the principles of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach, as well as the interaction between healthcare and social services systems. Based on the analysis of existing global experience, the development of human resources, structural changes with a focus on strengthening the coordinating role of primary care and developing outof-hospital care, the introduction of telemedicine technologies, and a shift in the patient-doctor relationship towards empowering patients in health management are considered promising vectors for optimizing the healthcare system in an aging population.

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