Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42192085›Full record

ArticleEuropean geriatric medicine2026

Acute medical care resource utilization of frail older patients presenting at the emergency department.

Linda Becude, Frouke M Engelaer, Leonie J van Meer, M Christien van der Linden, Merel van Loon-van Gaalen, Saskia L M A Beeres, Douwe H Biesma, Gerard J Blauw, Frederiek van den Bos

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Article in European geriatric medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Linda BecudeDepartment of Acute Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. l.becude@lumc.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-9564-5471
Frouke M EngelaerDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Haaglanden Medical Center, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Leonie J van MeerDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Haaglanden Medical Center, The Hague, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-5639-2733
M Christien van der LindenDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Haaglanden Medical Center, The Hague, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0637-7875
Merel van Loon-van GaalenDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Haaglanden Medical Center, The Hague, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1515-8391
Saskia L M A BeeresDepartment of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1916-078X
Douwe H BiesmaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8334-3057
Gerard J BlauwDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Haaglanden Medical Center, The Hague, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9283-654X
Frederiek van den BosDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Haaglanden Medical Center, The Hague, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1426-3509

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe emergency department (ED) has changed significantly due to technical innovations, centralization of care and further medical specialization. It is critical to assess whether the ED remains the most appropriate setting for older (frail) patients, given their multimorbidity, differing life goals, and the need to maintain acute care accessible.

methodsThis study assesses ED visits, focusing on differences in acute medical care resource utilization between younger and older patients, including the impact of age and frailty. A retrospective case series was performed over nearly six years, using descriptive trend analysis and multivariable regression.

resultsThis study included 163,140 patients, accounting for 274,462 ED visits. Median age was 46 years (IQR 25-66), and 48.5% were female. Patients aged ≥ 70 years (21.5% of visits) demonstrated higher use of acute care resources, including laboratory tests (OR 1.49), X-rays (OR 1.97), CT scans (OR 1.78), ambulance transport (OR 2.98), specialist consultations (OR 1.80), and hospital admissions (OR 2.83) compared to younger patients. Frail older patients had even greater utilization, independent of age, with adjusted ORs of 2.54 for ambulance transport and 4.45 for consultations.

conclusionOlder, especially frail, patients utilize more acute medical care resources and are more frequently hospitalized than younger individuals. These findings support the need for holistic, transmural care models that better align with patients' needs and reduce potentially non-beneficial interventions. The current ED setting may not be optimal for delivering such care. Tailored care pathways and alternatives to conventional hospitalization may improve patient outcomes and healthcare sustainability.

Indexed as

Emergency Service, HospitalFrail ElderlyFrailtyHealth ResourcesAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAge FactorsEmergency Room VisitsFemaleHospitalizationHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesAlternative for hospitalizationAppropriate acute care useEmergency departmentFrail patientsGeriatricMedical care resource utilization

Identifiers

PMID42192085
PMCPMC13562220

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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.