Utilization of a UK emergency department by care home residents: a retrospective observational study

There is little information available on the impact of care home residents upon emergency departments (EDs) in the UK. Our objective was to determine utilization of a UK ED by local care home residents. This study took place in a busy district general ED in an urban setting. Data were collected retrospectively for care home attendees during 2006. During the study period, an average of 2.4 care home patients attended per day. Just over half attended between 9 am and 5 pm. Fifty-seven percent were admitted, of these 25% died. Most common presentation categories were trauma (38%), respiratory disorders (11.2%), cardiovascular disorders (10.8%), gastrointestinal disorders (9.3%) and genitourinary disorders (6.4%). Although accounting only for 1.5% of daily attendances, care home residents have a high admission and inpatient mortality rate. This study provides important information on presentation patterns for this subgroup of the population and identifies areas for further study.