Frequent use of emergency departments by older people: a comparative cohort study of characteristics and outcomes.

Abstract

Objective: To characterise older people who frequently use emergency departments (EDs) and compare patient outcomes with older non-frequent ED attenders. Design: Retrospective comparative cohort study. Logistic regression modelling of patient characteristics and health service usage, comparing older frequent ED attenders (≥4 ED attendances in 12 months) to non-frequent ED attenders. Setting: Three Australian public hospital EDs, with a total of 143 327 emergency attendances in the 12 months. Participants: People aged ≥65 years attending the ED in financial year 2013/2014. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was frequent ED use; secondary outcomes were ED length of stay, discharge dest..