ArticleInternational journal of geriatric psychiatry2025
Changes in the Emergency Department Visits Among the Older Adults With Dementia Before, and After the Nationwide Social Distancing Measures: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.
Article in International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
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.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesSocial isolation is a well-known risk factor for dementia, particularly among the older adults. The recent global health crisis, coupled with prolonged social distancing, leading to unprecedented disruptions in social interactions and raising concerns about unforeseen impacts on vulnerable populations, particularly older individuals with dementia. This study examines the impact of extended social isolation on dementia patients receiving emergency care.
methodsWe conducted a nationwide study of emergency department (ED) visits among dementia patients aged 65+ during various phases of pandemic-related social distancing. Segmented quasi-Poisson regression models were used to determine changes in ED visits during and after social distancing compared to pre-social distancing.
resultsFrom 2017 to 2022, there were 203,772 ED visits by patients with dementia among older patients. The proportion of ED visits by patients with dementia decreased from 17% pre-pandemic to 15% during social isolation. Interrupted time series analysis revealed a decline in ED visits during social distancing (step change: 0.849, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.804-0.897; slope change: 1.000, 95% CI 0.996-1.003) followed by a rebound after restrictions were lifted (step change: 1.076, 95% CI 1.024-1.131; slope change: 1.009, 95% CI 0.994-1.025). However, monthly admission and mortality rates increased during social distancing.
conclusionThis study observed a decline in ED visits by patients with dementia among older patients during social distancing, followed by a rebound after restrictions were lifted. However, the social distancing period was associated with increased hospitalization and mortality. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining healthcare accessibility for vulnerable older adults.
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.