[Unplanned Emergency Department return visits by older patients]

The majority of older patients' Emergency Department (ED) repeat visits are disease-related or caused by new complaints. Whether these repeat visits should and can be avoided is debated, given the vulnerability of this patient category. A proportion of patients still returns despite careful discharge planning. However, this number represents only a small fraction of the total of ED visits. In conclusion, this situation is likely to persist because the number of patients is growing, the problem is unpredictable and the care capacity is limited. For the small part that we can prevent, there is a shared responsibility for both the ED, but also for the entire care network due to the chronic nature of a large proportion of the complaints in the ED. Advance care planning is crucial in shifting to appropriate, timely and patient-centered care.