Emergency room evaluation and recommendations for older emergency department users: results of the ER experimental study.

PURPOSE

The study aims to examine whether the use of "emergency room evaluation and recommendations" (ER) tool in daily ED practice reduces the length of stay in ED and hospital, and hospital admission in older patients visiting ED on stretcher.

METHODS

A total of 3931 older patients visiting ED of the Jewish General Hospital (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) on stretcher were recruited in this non-randomized, pre-post intervention, single arm, prospective and longitudinal open-label trial. ED staff and patients were blinded of the ER score and patients received usual ED care over the observational phase, whereas ED staff were informed about the ER score and patients had usual care plus interventions based on tailor-made geriatric recommendations during the interventional phase. The length of stay in ED and in hospital, and hospital admission were the outcomes.

RESULTS

The ER recommendations were associated with increased length of stay in ED (β = 2.94 with P ≤ 0.001) and decreased length of stay in hospital (β = - 2.07 with P = 0.011). No effect was found for hospital admission (Odd Ratio (OR) = 0.92 with P = 0.182).

CONCLUSION

Emergency room evaluation and recommendations (ER) tool had mixed effects. Shorter hospital stay has been reported for older ED users hospitalized, but increased ED stay and no effects on hospital admission were found.