Older Adults' Experiences of Emergency Department Admission Decisions: A Qualitative Study in a Public Safety Net Hospital.

backgroundHospital admission is a significant event in the healthcare trajectory of older adults (age 60 +). Numerous harms such as delirium, falls, and adverse medication events can arise that outweigh the benefits of admission. Little is known about how older adults feel about being hospitalized or what they think admission will achieve for them. These issues are particularly important to understand in socioeconomically disadvantaged patients, who have poor access to outpatient care and higher hospitalization rates.

methodsWe performed semi-structured interviews with emergency department (ED) patients aged 60 and older who were being admitted. The study site was a public hospital serving a socioeconomically disadvantaged, predominantly Hispanic and Black patient population. Interviews focused on experiences of the admission decision, expectations of hospitalization, and health outcome goals. We coded data using an inductive approach.

resultsTwenty-seven older adults were interviewed about their experiences. Most participants belonged to minoritized racial or ethnic groups (70%, n = 19), and 41% (n = 11) spoke Spanish as their primary language. Approximately one-third were admitted for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions, i.e., conditions that can be managed in the outpatient setting to prevent hospitalization. Four themes emerged: (1) participants felt that clinicians made admission decisions for, rather than with, them; (2) participants sought to avoid admission due to family caregiving and work obligations; (3) participants with chronic conditions viewed their admission as resulting from poor access to care over the longer term; (4) participants expected hospitalization to improve their chronic symptom burden, mobility, and abilities to perform activities of daily living.

conclusionsOlder adults' expectations of hospitalization exceed stabilization of acute illness. Hospital admission of older adults presents an opportunity for shared decision-making and communication about likely outcomes of hospitalization. Incorporating patient-centered outcomes into admission decisions may help align care with older adults' priorities in the ED.