Intermediate care for older people

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• A significant proportion of older adults (up to 40%) do not require hospitalization after emergency ambulance dispatch.
• Historically, these individuals often lacked seamless transitions to community-based support services.
• This gap in care highlighted a need for improved referral pathways for the elderly population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel protocol for referring older adults to intermediate care services post-emergency ambulance call.
• To ensure continuity of care and appropriate support for elderly individuals not admitted to hospital.
• To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the intermediate care referral system.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary working group designed a specific referral protocol.
• The protocol facilitated the redirection of older patients from emergency ambulance services to intermediate care.
• A cohort of 54 patients was monitored to evaluate protocol adherence and patient outcomes.

Main Results:

• The developed protocol was implemented to manage referrals for older adults after emergency ambulance assessments.
• Monitoring of 54 patients indicated adherence to the established referral procedures.
• Initial outcomes for patients referred to intermediate care were assessed.

Conclusions:

• The protocol provides a structured pathway for referring older adults to intermediate care services following emergency ambulance calls.
• This approach addresses a gap in community service provision for the elderly population.
• Further evaluation is warranted to confirm long-term benefits and optimize the protocol for broader implementation.