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Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry pp 3–25Cite as

Essential Medical Work-Up and Rule Outs

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Abstract

Geriatric patients often present with physical symptoms which can be attributed to normal aging, in spite of other treatable etiologies. Poor general health, detrimental lifestyle habits, long-term exposure to psychotropic medications, and increased rates of chronic systemic medical diseases can all have a cumulative impact, leading to a wide range of systemic medical and psychiatric symptoms. This chapter reviews the essentials of the medical diagnostic work-up for geriatric patients on inpatient psychiatric settings. Attention should focus on frail patients who may be at risk of further decline during hospitalization. The work-up and management of several common medical conditions and symptoms are reviewed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatry Department, University of Western Ontario, Stratford General Hospital, Stratford, ON, Canada

    Mirela S. Bucur

  2. Department of Family Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Heather Sylvester

  3. Stratford General Hospital, Stratford, ON, Canada

    Heather Sylvester

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Ana Hategan

Authors
  1. Mirela S. Bucur
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  2. Heather Sylvester
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  3. Ana Hategan
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Correspondence to Ana Hategan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Stanford/VA Alzheimer’s Center, VA Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Howard H. Fenn

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Ana Hategan

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Baylor Scott and White Central Texas, Division College of Medicine, Texas A & M University, Health Science Center, Temple, TX, USA

    James A. Bourgeois

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Bucur, M.S., Sylvester, H., Hategan, A. (2019). Essential Medical Work-Up and Rule Outs. In: Fenn, H., Hategan, A., Bourgeois, J. (eds) Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10401-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10401-6_1

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