Impact of a personal emergency response system on hospital utilization by community-residing elders

The purpose of this study was to determine whether use of a 24-hour personal emergency response system (PERS) might be associated with selected hospital utilization rates among community-residing users. Utilization rates of 106 patients were reviewed for 1 year before and 1 year after enrollment in the PERS. Self-paired analyses were conducted on number of visits to an emergency department (ED), number of hospital inpatient admissions, and number of inpatient days. During the 1-year follow-up period, those subscribers using the PERS had a statistically significant decrease in per person hospital admissions and inpatient days. No significant differences occurred in ED visits. When indicated, a PERS may be an appropriate environmental prescription.