Medical admissions through the emergency department: Who, how and how long?

Pernille Arvidsen, Eckart Pressel

    Abstract

    Objectives: The study aims to describe the clinical characteristics of elderly patients admitted to medical wards through the emergency department (ED).Methods: In a first part, we described demographic changes in the uptake area and ED visits of older patients in a 900 bed university hospital in Central Copenhagen from 2004-2014.In a second descriptive-retrospective part we studied clinical characteristics of patients >65 years admitted to the medical wards through the ED in January 2014 (n=132). We collected data on medication, comorbidities and admission rates to stationary wards .Results: The number of ED visits of persons >65 years increased by 28.3% during the study period whereas the number of persons aged ≥65 years in the uptake area remained stable. 21.1 % of the patients admitted to the medical wardswere transferred to the geriatric department.

    Conclusion:

    •The growing number of older ED patients are characterized by multimorbidity and polypharmacy. •They are often in the need of early specialized care and geriatric assessment should therefore be available in the acute clinical setting. 


    OriginalsprogEngelsk
    Publikationsdato2015
    Antal sider1
    StatusUdgivet - 2015
    BegivenhedEuropean Union Geriatric Medicine Society: EUGMS - Oslo, Norge
    Varighed: 16 sep. 201618 sep. 2016
    Konferencens nummer: 11
    http://www.eugms.org/2015.html

    Konference

    KonferenceEuropean Union Geriatric Medicine Society
    Nummer11
    Land/OmrådeNorge
    ByOslo
    Periode16/09/201618/09/2016
    Internetadresse

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