ABSTRACT
Most patients in hospital (Young and Sturdy, 2007) and ICUs (Pisani, 2009) are over 65. As UK society ages, numbers of older people in ICUs are increasing (Ridley, 2005). Healthcare should be provided according to clinical need, regard less of age (DH, 2001; International Council of Nurses, 2006). Yet limited material appears about older people in specialist literature, making them a potentially neglected majority. Comparing quantity and quality against paediatric critical care literature illustrates the relative neglect.
