The Compliance of Teaching Hospitals in Khorasan Razavi Province of Iran With the Criteria of Age-friendly Hospitals

The provision of health care services for older adults in the form of age-friendly hospitals has been emphasized. The move towards age-friendly hospitals is one of the key issues in international politics. The present study aims to investigate the compliance of teaching hospitals of Khorasan Razavi Province of Iran with the criteria of age-friendly hospitals.

This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted in 2022 on 16 teaching hospitals in Khorasan Razavi Province. The data collection tool was the checklist of age-friendly hospitals. SPSS software, version 22 and descriptive statistics (Mean±SD, frequency, and percentage) were used for data analysis.

Regarding the physical environment, more than 40% of hospitals were in good conditions in terms of being located near the subway and bus station, lighting, access to the elevator, wide doors and corridors, the presence of ramps, and signboards. Regarding staff training and information, more than 82% of the hospitals did not have guidelines for screening and providing counselling to older patients, and the hospitals lacked trained and specialized personnel in the field of major diseases and problems of old age. In the field of management systems, more than 90% of hospitals were not in a good condition.

The teaching hospitals in Khorasan Razavi Province are in a relatively unfavorable condition regarding the compliance with the criteria of age-friendly hospital. Therefore, it is necessary that the criteria of the age-friendly hospital, especially in the areas of staff training and special programs for geriatric care, be taken into account by these hospitals.