RT - Journal Article T1 - Referral status and demographic characteristics of elderly patients in emergency departments in Sabzevar, 1395. JF - ilam-ijgn YR - 2017 JO - ilam-ijgn VO - 3 IS - 4 UR - http://jgn.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-236-en.html SP - 102 EP - 111 K1 - emergency department K1 - elderly K1 - sabzevar AB - Introduction and purpose: As the elderly population grows, emergency medical services become one of the most frequent conventional medical services used by the elderly population. The main purpose of this study was to determine the demographic characteristics and referral status of elderly patients admitted to emergency care units. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed with 190 elderly patients over 60 years of age admitted to the emergency wards of Vasei Hospital, Amjadad and Heshmati city of Sabzevar in July 2017. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and independent t-test were used to analyze the data using SPSS software version 21. Findings: The results showed that the average age of elderly patients admitted to emergency care was 72 years, of which 15% lived alone and do not have any caregiver. About 30% of the admitted patients brought in by ambulance. 60% of the elderly patients were readmitted to the same institute within six months of discharge. Shortness of breath, heart pain, and hypertension were the leading cause of hospital readmission. Conclusion: Ensuring reliable and equitable delivery of safe and high-quality care requires the input of a wide range of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals, including cardio-pulmonologists, traumatologists, and emergency medicine specialists. Policymakers should consider these criteria to prevent avoidable hospital readmissions. LA eng UL http://jgn.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-236-en.html M3 ER -