Journal article
Emergency department utilisation by older people in metropolitan Melbourne, 2008-12: findings from the Reducing Older Patient's Avoidable Presentations for Emergency Care Treatment (REDIRECT) study
Danielle Mazza, Christopher Pearce, Angela Joe, Lyle R Turner, Bianca Brijnath, Colette Browning, Marianne Shearer, Judy Lowthian
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH REVIEW | CSIRO PUBLISHING | Published : 2018
DOI: 10.1071/AH16191
Abstract
Objective Older patients are over-represented in emergency departments (ED), with many presenting for conditions that could potentially be managed in general practice. The aims of the present study were to examine the characteristics of ED presentations by older patients and to identify patient factors contributing to potentially avoidable general practitioner (PAGP)-type presentations. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed of routinely collected data comprising ED presentations by patients aged ≥70 years at public hospitals across metropolitan Melbourne from January 2008 to December 2012. Presentations were classified according to the National Healthcare Agreement definition for PA..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This study was conducted as part of the wider Reducing Older Patient's Avoidable Presentations for Emergency Care Treatment (REDIRECT) study, funded by the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI). The authors thank the Centre for Victorian Data Linkage for access to the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset used in this analysis.