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Spotlight on Evidence Synthesis Program

ESP Report: Emergency Department Interventions for Older Adults


by Caroline Freiermuth, MD ; Susan Nicki Hastings, MD, MHS ; Jaime Hughes, PhD, MPH, MSW ; John Williams, Jr., MD, MHSc
Seminar date: 12/20/2018

Description: Older adults, particularly those 75 years of age and older, visit the emergency department (ED) with nearly twice the frequency of their younger counterparts. Within VA, older Veterans account for 40 percent of 2.4 million annual ED visits. This figure will continue to rise as the number of older Veterans is expected to increase significantly over the next decade. Our review aims to fill gaps in the literature by synthesizing evidence about ED interventions for clinical outcomes such as functional status and quality of life and utilization outcomes including hospital admission and ED readmission. Additionally, our review carefully classifies individual intervention components and uses rigorous analytic techniques to compare the effectiveness of selected interventions on outcomes of interest. Key Question: How effective are emergency department (ED) interventions in improving clinical, patient experience, and utilization outcomes in older adults (age =65)? Dr. S. Nicki Hastings, MD, MHS from the Durham Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care will join as an Operational Partner discussant and be available for Q&A. Intended audience: Researchers, clinicians, and those interested in emergency department interventions for older adults.



DOWNLOAD: PDF handout | Audio only (mp3) | transcript


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