Int Emerg Nurs. 2021 Jul 28;58:101035. doi: 10.1016/j.ienj.2021.101035. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Emergency departments are faced with a high influx of patients presenting for various complaints. The aim of the present study was to assess the basic characteristics of elderly patients presenting to a rural hospital emergency department in inland Croatia in 2017.
METHODS: Retrospective data collected from the Hospital Information System and by analysis of medical records on patients presenting to emergency department in 2017 were used in the study.
RESULTS: Study results indicated that a lower proportion of elderly individuals aged 65-74 were hospitalized following emergency department workup. A statistically significantly higher proportion of patients older than 74 years was presented to ED due to various discomforts and diseases (ICD-10 group I; χ2 = 324.85; p < 0.01) than due to cardiorespiratory diseases and acute abdomen (χ2 = 285.04; p < 0.01).
CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the need for a complex approach in care for elderly people, given that they are a fragile population with multiple comorbidities, chronic diseases, atypical symptoms, and often with cognitive and functional impairments.
PMID:34332452 | DOI:10.1016/j.ienj.2021.101035
