NCHS Data Brief, Number 367, June 2020

NCHS Data Brief, Number 367, June 2020

Emergency Department Visits Among Adults Aged 60 and Over: United States, 2014–2017

Key findings
Data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey:

• In 2014–2017, the emergency department (ED) visit rate for persons aged 60 and over was 43 visits per 100 persons and increased with age, from 34 visits per 100 persons aged 60–69 to 86 visits per 100 persons aged 90 and over.
• About 7% of ED visits among patients aged 60 and over were made by nursing home residents, and this percentage increased with age.
• About 30% of patients aged 60 and over who visited the ED arrived by ambulance, and this percentage increased with age.
• The percentage of ED visits among patients aged 60 and over due to unintentional falls increased with age.
• Nearly one-quarter of ED visits among patients aged 60 and over resulted in a hospital admission, and this percentage increased with age.

Keywords

​ambulance, emergency care, falls, hospital admission, older adults, National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey

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