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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Do geriatric interventions reduce emergency department visits?
— a systematic review | | Author(s) | Jane McCusker, Josée Verdon |
| Journal title | Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, vol 61A, no 1, January 2006 |
| Pages | pp 53-62 |
| Source | http://www.geron.org |
| Keywords | Accident & emergency depts ; Health services ; Needs [elderly] ; Evaluation ; Clinical surveys ; Literature reviews ; Canada. |
| Annotation | In Canada, hospital emergency departments (EDs) serve an ageing population with an increased burden on health resources. This study aimed to systematically review the literature and to compare the effects of comprehensive geriatric assessment interventions on ED visits. Relevant articles were identified through electronic databases and a search of reference lists and personal files. Inclusion criteria included original research (in English or French) on interventions conducted in non-institutionalised populations aged 60+, not restricted by a particular medical condition, in which ED visits were a study outcome. A standard protocol was used to abstract the data. 21 relevant studies were identified, reported in 28 articles, with study samples obtained from 9 EDs, 4 hospitals, 10 outpatients or primary care settings, 4 home care, and 1 community setting. The study design included 17 randomised controlled trials, 3 trials with non-random allocation, 4 before and after studies, 1 quasi-experimental time series study, and 1 cross-sectional study. Hospital-based interventions (mostly short-term assessments and/or liaison) had little overall effect on ED use, whereas many interventions in outpatient and/or primary care or home care settings (including geriatric assessment and management and case management) reduced ED use. Heterogeneity in study methods, measures of comorbidity, functional status, and ED utilisation precluded meta-analysis of the results. Further research using improved methodologies and standardised measures is needed to address the effects of innovative geriatric interventions in ED visits. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-060314223 A |
| Classmark | LD6: L: IK: 4C: 3G: 64A: 7S |
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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