Poor Outcomes After Emergency Department Discharge of the Elderly: A Case-Control Study.

ABSTRACT:

Study objective

The emergency department (ED) is an inherently high-risk setting. Our objective is to identify the factors associated with the combined poor outcome of either death or an ICU admission shortly after ED discharge in older adults.

Methods

We conducted chart review of 600 ED visit records among adults older than 65 years that resulted in discharge from any of 13 hospitals within an integrated health system in 2009 to 2010. We randomly chose 300 patients who experienced the combined outcome within 7 days of discharge and matched case patients to controls who did not experience the outcome. Two emergency physicians blinded to the outcome reviewed the records and identified whether a number of characteristics were present. Predictors of the outcome were identified

SUBMITTER: Gabayan GZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5310269 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature