ArticleBMC public health2024
Symptoms of depression and risk of emergency department visits among people aged 70 years and over.
Article in BMC public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Outcomes of emergency department observation units for geriatric assessment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Singapore medical journal · 2026Pooled it
- Factors Associated with Emergency Department Utilization among Older Black Adults with Chronic Illness in the United States.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- Barriers and facilitators to implementing digital psychosocial interventions for older adults presenting to emergency departments: a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Understanding the psychosocial well-being of people older than 65 years during emergency department admissions: A qualitative analysis of patients' accounts of their experiences.Australasian journal on ageing · 2025Article
- Risk screening by the emergency medical services identifies older patients at risk of emergency department readmission: a retrospective observational study.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2025Observational
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOlder people experiencing depression and anxiety have higher rates of health service utilisation than others, but little is known about whether these influence their seeking of emergency care. The aim was to examine the associations between symptoms of depression and the use of emergency health care, in an Australian context, among a population of people aged 70 years and over initially free of cardiovascular disease, dementia or major physical disability.
methodsWe undertook secondary analyses of data from a large cohort of community-dwelling Australians aged [Formula: see text]70 years. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare the association of symptoms of depression (measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale 10 question version, CESD at baseline) with subsequent episodes of emergency care, adjusting for physical and social factors of clinical interest. Marginal adjusted odds ratios were calculated from the logistic regression.
resultsData were available for 10,837 Australian participants aged at least 70 years. In a follow-up assessment three years after the baseline assessment, 17.6% of people self-reported an episode of emergency care (attended an ED of called an emergency ambulance) in the last 12 months. Use of emergency healthcare was similar for men and women (17.8% vs. 17.4% p = 0.61). A score above the cut-off on the CESD at baseline was associated with greater use of emergency health care (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.11,1.64). When modelled separately, there was a greater association between a score above the cut-off on the CESD and emergency healthcare for women compared with men.
conclusionsThis study is unique in demonstrating how depressive symptoms among healthy older persons are associated with subsequent increased use of emergency healthcare. Improved understanding and monitoring of mental health in primary care is essential to undertake effective healthcare planning including prevention of needing emergency care.
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