NCHS Data Brief: Emergency Department Visits by Persons Aged 65 and Over

Summary:

This analysis examined ED visits made by persons aged 65 and over in 2009–2010 and identified a number of differences by age. The ED visit rate and the percentage of ED visits made by nursing home residents, patients arriving by ambulance, and patients admitted to the hospital increased with age. The percentage of injury-related ED visits was highest among persons aged 85 and over, and the percentage of visits caused by a fall increased with age. As the proportion of older individuals in the United States continues to rise, the recognition of age differences in the utilization and provision of ED services among this population will be important.

Data Source info:

Data for this analysis are from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), an annual, nationally representative survey of nonfederal, general, and short-stay hospitals. NHAMCS is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics and provides data on the utilization and provision of ambulatory care services in hospital emergency and outpatient departments 

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

 Download pdf of National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief: Emergency Department Visits by Persons Aged 65 and Over