title: Older people presenting to the emergency department after a fall: a population with substantial recurrent healthcare use.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To document patient characteristics, care pathways, healthcare use and costs of fall-related emergency department (ED) presentations by older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  All fallers aged ≥70 years, presenting to the ED of a 450-bed metropolitan university hospital in Sydney, Australia (1 April 2007 through 31 March 2009) were studied. Data were collected from the ED electronic information system, ED clinical records and the hospital electronic information system database. Population estimates for 2008 for the local areas served by the hospital were used to estimate ED presentation rates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 18 902 all-cause ED presentations, 3220 (17.0%) were due to a fall. Among fallers, 35.4% had one or more ED presentations and 20.3% had had one or more hospital admissions in the preceding 12 months. Fall-related ED presentation led directly to hospital admission in 42.7% of the cases, the majority of which (78.0%) received acute care only (length of stay-14.4 days for men and 13.7 days for women) and the remaining cases underwent further inpatient rehabilitation (length of stay 35.6 days for men and 30.1 days for women). After hospitalisation, 9.5% of patients became first-time residents of long-term care facilities. All fall-related ED presentations and hospitalisations cost a total of A$11 241 387 over the study period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older fallers presenting to the ED consume significant healthcare resources and are an easily identifiable high-risk population. They may benefit from systematic fall-risk assessment and tailored fall-prevention interventions.
authors.affiliation: Falls and Balance Research Group, Neuroscience Research Australia, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Sydney, Australia. j.close@neura.edu.au
authors.forename: Jacqueline C T
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Close
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lord
authors.forename: Evgeniya Jenya
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Antonova
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Benedikte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lensberg
authors.forename: Morag
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hallen
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy