Ageism in nursing care with elderly people in the emergency department: scoping review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0222e.42490Keywords:
ageism; older adults; nursing care; emergency departmentAbstract
Introduction: Ageism — understood as prejudice and stereotypes that associate older adults’ symptoms and needs with natural aging — compromises the quality of care in emergency settings, exacerbating diagnostic delays and inappropriate treatments.
Objective: To identify the factors that potentiate ageism in nursing care for individuals ≥ 65 years old in Emergency Departments (ED).
Methods: A scoping review conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA-ScR (Page et al., 2021) guidelines, with searches in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL and Google Scholar for articles published from 2019 to 2024, in Portuguese, English, or Spanish, with full text available. Inclusion criteria: original studies addressing ageism in nursing in the ED.
Results: Six studies were included, originating from France, Finland, Ireland, Portugal, and Iran; four used mixed methods and two were quantitative. Four categories of factors potentiating ageism were identified: 1) individual factors (knowledge and attitudes); 2) organizational factors (lack of specific protocols and heavy workload); 3) educational factors (deficits in academic training); 4) cultural issues (societal stereotypes about aging).
Conclusion: Ageism in the ED results from the interaction between individual, organizational, and educational factors. Recommendations include: ongoing geriatric training programs; Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment protocols adapted to the ED; revision of organizational indicators that prioritize older-adult–centered outcomes.
Downloads
References
Borralho, L. (2023). Gabinete de apoio ao idoso no serviço de urgência do CHUA: Utopia ou realidade? [Dissertação de mestrado, Universidade do Algarve].Sapientia. https://shre.ink/AmMf
Butler, R. (1969). Ageism: Another form of bigotry. The Gerontologist, 9(4), 243–246. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/9.4_Part_1.243
Butler, R. (1980). Ageism: A foreword. Journal of Social Issues, 36(2), 8-11. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1980.tb02018.x
Centro de Planeamento e de Avaliação de Políticas Públicas. (2025). Envelhecimento na população: Perceções, recursos de saúde e respostas sociais. PLANAPP. https://planapp.gov.pt/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/PLANAPP-NA-EnvelhecimentoPopulacao.pdf
Conroy, S., & Thomas, M. (2022). Urgent care for older people. Age and Ageing, 51(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afab019.
Elvas, I. (2024). Identificação do modelo de urgência amigo dos mais velhos adequado ao contexto populacional da ULS Amadora Sintra [Dissertação de pós-graduação, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública]. Catálogo da Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública. https://shre.ink/AmM2
Fernández-Puerta, L., Caballero-Bonafé, A., de-Moya-Romero, J., Martínez-Sabater, A., & Valera-Lloris, R. (2024). Ageism and Associated Factors in Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review. Nursing Reports, 14(4), 4039–4059. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14040295
Forss, K., Nilsson, J., & Borglin, G. (2018). Registered nurses’ and older people’s experiences of participation in nutritional care in nursing homes: a descriptive qualitative study. BMC Nursing, 17(19). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-018-0289-8
Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional. (2020). Sustentabilidade demográfica: Um equilíbrio imprescindível. Dirigir & Formar, 7, 14–15. https://shre.ink/AmeY
Iversen, T., Larsen, L., & Solem, P. (2009). A conceptual analysis of Ageism. Nordic Psychology, 61(3), 4-22. https://doi.org/10.1027/1901-2276.61.3.4.
Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). (2025). JBI Resources. https://jbi.global/scoping-review-network/resources
O'Shaughnessy, Í., Robinson, K., Whiston, A., Barry, L., Corey, G., Devlin, C., Hartigan, D., Synnott, A., McCarthy, A., Moriarty, E., Jones, B., Carroll, I., Shchetkovsky, D., O'Connor, M., Steed, F., Carey, L., Conneely, M., Leahy, A., Quinn, C., Shanahan, E., Ryan, D., &Galvin, R. (2024). Comprehensive geriatric assessment in the emergency department: A prospective cohort study of process, clinical, and patient-reported outcomes. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 19, 189–201. https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S434641
Organização Mundial da Saúde. (2021). Relatório mundial sobre o idadismo. https://shre.ink/AmeV
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372(n71). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Pazos, P. de F., & Ferreira, A. (2024). Pessoa idosa, mercado de trabalho, idadismo e a saúde do trabalhador: Revisão de escopo. Revista Brasileira de Geriatria e Gerontologia, 27. https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-22562024027.240004.pt
Pilleron, B., Douillet, D., Furon, Y., Haubertin, C., Parot-Schinkel, E., Vielle, B., Roy, P., & Poiroux, L. (2024). Nurses' moral judgements during emergency department triage: A prospective mixed multicenter study. International Emergency Nursing, 75, 101479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ienj.2024.101479
Pissaia, L. (2023). O Cuidar Profissional: Percepções De Cuidadores De Idosos Em Formação. Revista Destaques Académicos, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.22410/issn.2176-3070.v15i3a2023.3436
Preston, L., vanOppen, J., Conroy, S., Ablard, S., BuckleyWoods, H., & Mason, S. (2021). Improving outcomes for older people in the emergency department: A review of reviews. Emergency Medicine Journal, 38(12), 882–888. https://doi.org/10.1136/emermed-2020-209514
PRISMA. (2020). PRISMA 2020. https://www.prisma-statement.org/prisma-2020
Ranta, M., Lönnroos, E., Miettinen, M., Kouvo, A., &Lammintakanen, J. (2024). Emergency nurses' and physicians' perceptions and self-assessed competence in providing care to older patients. International Emergency Nursing, 74, 101443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ienj.2024.101443
Sedri, N., Zakeri, M., Zare Zardiny, M., & Tavan, A. (2022). Evaluation of nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards older adults and associated factors. The Open Nursing Journal, 16. https://doi.org/10.2174/18744346-v16-e2206200
Silva, H., & Pereira, A. (2015). Idadismo: A nova face do preconceito. Revista Kairós Gerontologia, 18(1), 9–25. https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-901X.2015v18i1p9-25
Tricco, A. C., Lillie, E., Zarin, W., O’Brien, K. K., Colquhoun, H., Levac, D., Moher, D., Peters, M. D. J., Horsley, T., Weeks, L., Hempel, S., Akl, E. A., Chang, C., McGowan, J., Stewart, L., Hartling, L., Aldcroft, A., Wilson, M. G., Garritty, C., … Straus, S. E. (2018). PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation. Annals of Internal Medicine, 169(7), 467–473. https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850
Wardrop, R., Crilly, J., Ranse, J., &Chaboyer, W. (2021). Vulnerability: A concept synthesis and its application to the Emergency Department. International Emergency Nursing, 54, 100936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ienj.2020.100936
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Millenium - Journal of Education, Technologies, and Health
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who submit proposals for this journal agree to the following terms:
a) Articles are published under the Licença Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), in full open-access, without any cost or fees of any kind to the author or the reader;
b) The authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, allowing the free sharing of work, provided it is correctly attributed the authorship and initial publication in this journal;
c) The authors are permitted to take on additional contracts separately for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (eg, post it to an institutional repository or as a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal;
d) Authors are permitted and encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (eg, in institutional repositories or on their website) as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as increase the impact and citation of published work
Documents required for submission
Article template (Editable format)
