Observational studyBMC geriatrics2024
Elderly patients with non-specific complaints at the emergency department have a high risk for admission and 30-days mortality.
Observational study in BMC geriatrics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Geriatric team support in the emergency department-a randomised trial investigating the effects on hospital admission and community care in older adults (GerED-21).Age and ageing · 2026Trial
- [Age and gender aspects in the utilization of emergency departments and their consideration in the management of emergency care].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2026Article
- Observational
- Demographics, clinical features and outcomes of older patients presenting to an Irish emergency department.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Geriatrician telephone support for emergency medical dispatchers: safe alternatives for older patients at high risk of short-term emergency department visits.European geriatric medicine · 2026Article
- Geriatric critical care assessment: key considerations.European geriatric medicine · 2026Review
- Frailty Alerts Reduce Waiting Time and Length of Stay in the Emergency Department.Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine · 2026Observational
- Diagnostic spectrum of unplanned acute hospital admissions within 30 days after emergency department presentation for vertigo in older adults: a province-wide retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Trends and Risk Factors for the Hospitalization of Older Adults Presenting to Emergency Departments After a Bed-Related Fall: A National Database Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOlder adults have complex medical needs that causes increased use of resources at the emergency department (ED). The prevalence of non-specific complaint (NSC) as a chief-complaint in the ED is common among older adults and is not prioritized even though possibly having worse clinical outcome. The objective was to study hospital admission and mortality for older adults visiting the ED with NSC compared to specific complaints such as dyspnea, chest pain and abdominal pain.
methodsA retrospective observational study of older adults visiting the ED with NSC and specific complaints; dyspnea, chest pain and abdominal pain was performed. Chief-complaint were collected from electronic medical records. Fatigue, confusion, non-specific complaints, generalized weakness and risk of falling were defined as non-specific complaint (NSC) when registered as chief-complaint at the ED. Admission rate and 30-days mortality were the primary outcomes.
resultsA total of 4927 patients were included in the study based on chief-complaint; patients with chest pain 1599 (32%), dyspnea 1343 (27%), abdominal pain 1460 (30%) and NSC 525 (11%). Patients with dyspnea and NSC had the highest hospital admission rate 79% vs 70% compared to patients with chest pain (63%) and abdominal pain (61%) (p = < 0.001). Patients with NSC had a mean LOS 4.7 h at the ED which was significantly higher compared to chest pain, dyspnea and abdominal pain. Mean bed-days for the whole population was 4.2 days compared to patients with NSC who had a mean LOS of 5.6 days. NSC and dyspnea were both associated with the highest 30-day mortality.
conclusionOlder patients who present with NSC at the ED are associated with a high risk for admission and 30-days mortality. In addition, patients with NSC have a longer LOS at the ED, a high admission rate and the highest number of bed-days once admitted. This study indicates that ED staff should be more vigilant when an elderly patient presents with NSC at the ED. Further studies and guidelines are needed to improve the management of these individuals.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.