An emergency medical services program to promote the health of older adults.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the feasibility and effect of an emergency medical services (EMS) program that screened, educated, and referred older adults with unmet needs.


METHODS
A cluster sample design evaluation of an intervention conducted by EMS in one of two communities.


METHODS
Two rural communities in upstate New York.


METHODS
Two hundred fifty-eight intervention-group and 143 control-group community-dwelling older adults receiving emergency care from participating EMS agencies between February 2004 and June 2005.


METHODS
EMS providers screened intervention group patients to identify those at risk for falls, influenza, and pneumococcal infections and provided patients educational materials. Patients' physicians were notified of screening results to provide interventions. Control group patients were provided usual care.


METHODS
Variables included patient demographic and clinical characteristics, the proportion of eligible patients screened, patient risk during EMS care and 14 days later, and patient recollection of receiving educational materials and conversations with physicians regarding needs.


RESULTS
Follow-up was successful in 245 (61%) patients. Approximately 80% of intervention-group patients were successfully screened for each item. No differences were identified for characteristics collected at the time of EMS care, but a notable number of patients were at risk for each item. No differences existed between the control or intervention group for process measures such as recollection of receiving educational materials. For outcome measures, only an improvement in pneumococcal vaccination levels was found.


CONCLUSIONS
EMS screening of older adults during emergency responses is feasible, but a simple intervention of providing educational materials to patients during emergency responses and faxing notifications to physicians appears insufficient to address patients' needs.
Shah
Manish N
MN
Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. Manish_Shah@urmc.rochester.edu
Clarkson
Lindsay
L
Lerner
E Brooke
EB
Fairbanks
Rollin J
RJ
McCann
Robert
R
Schneider
Sandra M
SM
D000368:Aged; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000639:trends*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population