Injury-Related Emergency Department Presentations Among Residential Aged Care Residents in Victoria, Australia

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to quantify and describe the characteristics of emergency department (ED) injury presentations and subsequent hospital admissions among residents of residential aged-care facilities (RACFs) in Victoria, Australia between 2008 and 2018.

Methods: This study comprised a single jurisdiction population-based study of consecutive injury-related ED presentations of RACFs residents using the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (VEMD).

Results: The rate of ED injury presentations per 100,000 population decreased by .8% per year over 10 years (P = .03); however, the rate per 100,000 RACF bed days increased by .6% per year (P = .05). The proportion of presentations subsequently admitted to hospital increased 4.0% per year (P<.0001). The majority of presentations were due to falls (82.5%), with fracture(s) being the most common injury type (34.0%).

Discussion: The increased rate of ED visits and hospital admissions in RACFs residents highlights the need to design specialized emergency care services and/or provide better direct access to hospital care for this vulnerable population.

Keywords: emergency department; injury; nursing home; residential aged care.