Emergency demand, repeat and frequent presentations by older patients in metropolitan Melbourne: A retrospective cohort study using routinely collected hospital data

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe patterns for potentially avoidable general practice (PAGP)-type and non-PAGP-type ED presentations by older patients during 2008 and 2012. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of ED presentations by patients ≥70 years for 2008 and 2012. Metropolitan Melbourne public hospital data were obtained from the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset. Outcomes were characteristics of PAGP-type and non-PAGP-type presentations as defined by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; numbers and rates per 1000 population ≥70 years of repeat (×2-3/year) and frequent (≥ ×4/year) PAGP-type and non-PAGP-type presentations. RESULTS: The older metropolitan Melbourne population increased by ..