Table 2.
Characteristics of People Aged ≥65 Years Who Fell and Were Seen by Emergency Medical Services
Characteristic | Not transported n (%) |
Transported n (%) |
Percent not transported within category | Total n (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Age | ||||
65–74 | 50,630 (27.1) | 166,632 (23.2) | 23.3 | 217,262 (24.0) |
75–84 | 70,117 (37.6) | 254,319 (35.5) | 21.6 | 324,436 (35.9) |
≥85 | 65,965 (35.3) | 295,925 (41.3) | 18.2 | 361,890 (40.1) |
Gender | ||||
Female | 110,706 (59.3) | 478,188 (66.7) | 18.8 | 588,894 (65.2) |
Male | 73,047 (39.1) | 235,121 (32.8) | 23.7 | 308,168 (34.1) |
Unknown | 2,959 (1.6) | 3,567 (0.5) | 45.3 | 6,526 (0.7) |
Urbanicity | ||||
Rural | 21,142 (11.3) | 87,078 (12.1) | 19.5 | 108,220 (12.0) |
Suburban | 19,894 (10.7) | 68,029 (9.5) | 22.6 | 87,923 (9.7) |
Urban | 136,987 (73.4) | 527,004 (73.5) | 20.6 | 663,991 (73.5) |
Wilderness | 5,651 (3.0) | 23,120 (3.2) | 19.6 | 28,771 (3.2) |
Unknown | 3,038 (1.6) | 11,645 (1.6) | 20.7 | 14,683 (1.6) |
Location | ||||
Home/residence | 129,679 (69.5) | 414,166 (57.8) | 23.8 | 543,845 (60.2) |
Unknown | 18,705 (10.0) | 43,585 (6.1) | 30.0 | 62,290 (6.9) |
Residential institution (nursing home, jail/prison) | 15,436 (8.3) | 180,503 (25.2) | 7.9 | 195,939 (21.7) |
Other location | 9,197 (4.9) | 32,518 (4.5) | 22.0 | 41,715 (4.6) |
Trade or service (business, bars, restaurants, etc.) | 8,798 (4.7) | 25,779 (3.6) | 25.4 | 34,577 (3.8) |
Street or highway | 4,897 (2.6) | 20,325 (2.8) | 19.4 | 25,222 (2.8) |
Level of services | ||||
EMT-Basic | 20,671 (11.1) | 63,710 (8.9) | 24.5 | 84,381 (9.3) |
EMT-Intermediate | 4,770 (2.6) | 16,293 (2.3) | 22.6 | 21,063 (2.3) |
EMT-Paramedic | 150,939 (80.8) | 582,152 (81.2) | 20.6 | 733,091 (81.1) |
Nurse | 2,198 (1.2) | 11,693 (1.6) | 15.8 | 13,891 (1.5) |
Physician | 1,634 (0.9) | 8,343 (1.2) | 16.4 | 9,977 (1.1) |
Unknown | 6,500 (3.5) | 34,685 (4.8) | 15.8 | 41,185 (4.6) |
EMS impression | ||||
Abdominal pain/problems | 332 (0.2) | 5,011 (0.7) | 6.2 | 5,343 (0.6) |
Altered level of consciousness | 958 (0.5) | 20,982 (2.9) | 4.4 | 21,940 (2.4) |
Behavioral/psychiatric disorder | 457 (0.2) | 2,895 (0.4) | 13.6 | 3,352 (0.4) |
Cardiac distress/chest pain | 329 (0.2) | 7,679 (1.1) | 4.1 | 8,008 (0.9) |
Diabetic symptoms (hypoglycemia) | 1,099 (0.6) | 3,258 (0.5) | 25.2( | 4,357 (0.5) |
Hyperthermia | 99 (0.1) | 799 (0.1) | 11.0 | 898 (0.1) |
Hypothermia | 15 (0.0) | 372 (0.1) | 3.9 | 387 (0.0) |
Hypovolemia/shock | 189 (0.1) | 2,385 (0.3) | 7.3 | 2,574 (0.3) |
None | 133,537 (71.5) | 287,516 (40.1) | 31.7 | 421,053 (46.6) |
Obvious death | 48 (0.0) | 522 (0.1) | 8.4 | 570 (0.1) |
Poisoning/drug ingestion | 277 (0.1) | 1,538 (0.2) | 15.3 | 1,815 (0.2) |
Respiratory arrest/distress | 269 (0.1) | 4,428 (0.6) | 5.7 | 4,697 (0.5) |
Seizure | 83 (0.0) | 1,382 (0.2) | 5.7 | 1,465 (0.2) |
Stroke/CVA | 188 (0.1) | 6,154 (0.9) | 3.0 | 6,342 (0.7) |
Syncope/fainting | 5,795 (3.1) | 28,956 (4.0) | 16.7 | 34,751 (3.8) |
Traumatic injury | 43,037 (23.0) | 342,999 (47.8) | 11.1 | 386,036 (42.7) |
Patient disposition | ||||
Dead at scene | 0 (0.0) | 1,117 (0.2) | 0.0 | 1,117 (0.1) |
Transported by EMS or law enforcement | 0 (0.0) | 715,759 (99.8) | 0.0 | 715,759 (79.2) |
Cancelled/no patient found | 5,510 (3.0) | 0 (0.0) | 100.0 | 5,510 (0.6) |
No treatment required | 36,759 (19.2) | 0 (0.0) | 100.0 | 35,759 (4.0) |
Treated and released | 38,939 (20.9) | 0 (0.0) | 100.0 | 38,939 (4.3) |
Patient refused care | 106,504 (57.0) | 0 (0.0) | 100.0 | 106,504 (11.8) |
Total | 186,712 (20.7) | 716,876 (79.3) | 903,588 (100.0) |
Source: National EMS Information, 2012.
CVA, cerebrovascular accident; EMT, emergency medical technician; EMS, emergency medical services.