Table 1.
Patient characteristics
| Variable | All patients (n = 1680) | Control cohort (n = 794) | Intervention cohort (n = 886) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Q2 (Q1-Q3) | 80 (76.0–85.0) | 80 (75.0–85.0) | 81 (76.0–85.0) | 0.46 |
| Female, n (%) | 905 (53.9) | 436 (54.9) | 469 (52.9) | 0.42 |
| Living alone, n (%) | 610 (36.4) | 303 (38.2) | 307 (34.8) | 0.15 |
| Nursing care at home, n (%) | 552 (33.0) | 250 (31.6) | 302 (34.3) | 0.25 |
| Home care, n (%) | 246 (14.7) | 120 (15.1) | 126 (14.3) | 0.64 |
| Physiotherapy, n (%) | 199 (11.9) | 103 (13.0) | 96 (10.9) | 0.19 |
| Meals on wheels, n (%) | 195 (11.7) | 92 (11.6) | 103 (11.7) | 0.95 |
| Cleaning help, n (%) | 745 (44.6) | 355 (44.8) | 390 (44.4) | 0.87 |
| Help for management of finances, n (%) | 565 (33.8) | 246 (31.0) | 319 (36.3) | 0.02* |
| Personal alarm system, n (%) | 183 (11.0) | 79 (10.0) | 104 (11.8) | 0.22 |
| Caregiver burden, n (%) | 206 (12.5) | 114 (14.4) | 92 (10.7) | 0.02* |
| Premorbid ADL, Q2 (Q1-Q3) | 7 (6.0–10.0) | 7 (6.0–10.0) | 7 (6.0–10.0) | 0.06 |
| Fall in last 90 days, n (%) | 679 (40.7) | 341 (43.2) | 338 (38.5) | 0.06 |
| Pain, daily and severe, n (%) | 247 (14.8) | 110 (13.9) | 137 (15.6) | 0.33 |
| Weight loss, n (%) | 309 (18.6) | 180 (22.8) | 129 (14.8) | <.001* |
| Difficulty in medication management, n (%) | 353 (21.2) | 146 (18.4) | 207 (23.6) | 0.01* |
| Cognitive impairment, n (%) | 706 (46.7) | 355 (46.8) | 351 (46.6) | 0.93 |
| Delirium, n (%) | 66 (3.9) | 28 (3.5) | 38 (4.3) | 0.42 |
| Risk for depression, n (%) | 273 (16.4) | 175 (22.2) | 98 (11.2) | .001* |
| Polypharmacy, n (%) | 1201 (72.4) | 565 (71.2) | 636 (73.6) | 0.26 |
| Triage priority level (ESI), n (%) | 0.26 | |||
| °level 1–2 | 547 (37.2) | 250 (35.7) | 297 (38.6) | |
| °level 3–5 | 923 (62.8) | 450 (64.3) | 473 (61.4) | |
| Comorbidity, Q2 (Q1-Q3) | 19 (15.0–24.0) | 21 (16.0–26.0) | 18 (14.0–23.0) | <.001* |
| Previous ED visit in last 90 days, n (%) | 381 (23.0) | 162 (20.6) | 219 (25.1) | 0.03* |
| Previous hospital stay in last 90 days, n (%) | 394 (23.6) | 180 (22.8) | 214 (24.3) | 0.49 |
| First treating discipline on ED is surgical, n (%) | 351 (20.9) | 175 (22.0) | 176 (19.9) | 0.27 |
| Geriatric screening (iEDS), n (%) | <.001* | |||
| °Score 1–4 | 1163 (69.3) | 506 (63.9) | 657 (74.2) | |
| °Score 5–6 | 515 (30.7) | 286 (36.1) | 229 (25.8) |
P-value: comparison of variable between control and intervention cohort, using Mann-Whitney U or Chi2 tests
*statistical significant with alpha = 0,05, ED emergency department, ESI Emergency Severity Index, ADL Activities of Daily Living; Q2 = median; Q1-Q3 = interquartile range; iEDS = interRAI Emergency Department Screener©