[Significance of emergency care in the elderly patient].
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the statistical and characteristics of the attendance to the elderly patient at the Emergency Department of a General Hospital.


METHODS
Retrospective study of patients > or = 65 years assisted at the Emergency Department of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (Madrid), during 1998, taking into consideration different parameters as age, sex, time of year, referred pathology and final destination; results were compared with data relating to the population under 65.


RESULTS
Over 28.4% of the 129,586 subjects that attended the Emergency Department were elderly people. Those ones aged between 65-74 years demanded assistance more frequently, being women's requests higher, particularly among the eldest patients. Assistance requests were higher in winter time, being the most common reason for consultation medical and surgical general troubles (76.4%), followed by trauma emergencies (12.35%). Hospital admission's percentage of elderly people was three times higher than the non-elderly ones, needing more admissions men than women (29 vs 22.7%).


CONCLUSIONS
The high statistical of urgent attendance to the elderly patient compared with younger people as well as the higher number of admissions due to this assistance, seem to make necessary the implantation of Geriatric Evaluation Units at the hospital's Emergency Departments.
Pallardo Rodil
B
B
Servicio Geriatría, Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos, Universidad Complutense, Madrid.
Santa Olalla Peralta
P
P
Ribera Casado
J M
JM
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies