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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Older people's use of Accident and Emergency services | | Author(s) | Ann Downing, Richard Wilson |
| Journal title | Age and Ageing, vol 34, no 1, January 2005 |
| Pages | pp 24-30 |
| Source | http://www.ageing.oupjournals.org |
| Keywords | Accident & emergency depts ; Usage [services] ; Social surveys ; West Midlands. |
| Annotation | It has been previously reported that patients aged 65+ account for 15% of Accident & Emergency (A&E) attendances. In this study, data from an NHS region over a number of years were used to describe A&E attendance patterns of older people, defined as those aged 65+. Their attendances are also compared with those of the rest of the population. A&E attendances were collected from 14 Acute Trusts in the West Midlands for April 1999 to March 2002 via the West Midlands Accident and Emergency Surveillance Centre. Patients aged 65+ accounted for 18% of all attendances. Attendance rates were highest in those aged 80+. Older patients were significantly more likely to attend during the morning and early afternoon, during the winter months, arrive by ambulance, and require admission to hospital. Older patients were significantly more likely to attend with non-injury, particularly cardiac-related conditions. Injuries accounted for 33.1% of attendances in the over 65s compared to 59.9% of those aged 0-64. This study is the first in England to look at A&E attendance patterns of all older people in an NHS region. It has demonstrated the continued high use of A&E by those aged 65+, and highlights the need for continued systemic monitoring of A&E attendance patterns to enable planners to accommodate the impact of an increasingly ageing population. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-050127208 A |
| Classmark | LD6: QLD: 3F: 87 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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