Elderly Care — Introduction for MRCEM SBA
Elderly care is a vital component of Emergency Medicine, as older adults represent a significant proportion of ED attendances and often present with atypical, multifactorial, and high-risk conditions. For the MRCEM SBA exam, this topic assesses your ability to recognise how ageing physiology, frailty, and polypharmacy alter both presentation and management of acute illness.
Key exam themes include:
- Falls and syncope — identifying underlying causes such as arrhythmia, orthostatic hypotension, or medication effects.
- Delirium vs dementia — acute confusion in the elderly is a medical emergency; know common triggers and screening tools (e.g. 4AT).
- Polypharmacy and drug interactions — recognise adverse drug reactions and safe prescribing principles.
- Elder abuse and safeguarding — essential legal and ethical responsibility.
- End-of-life care — communication, DNACPR decisions, and recognising the dying patient.
In short, elderly care questions in the MRCEM SBA test clinical reasoning, risk stratification, and holistic management — balancing acute resuscitation with functional assessment, safe discharge, and multidisciplinary input.