Frequent use of emergency departments and chronic conditions in ageing societies: a retrospective analysis based in Italy
Abstract Background Most western countries are facing relevant demographic changes, and the percentage of older people is destined to rise in the next decades. This fact is likely to affect the sustainability of healthcare systems significantly, mainly due to the connected issue of chronicity. Metho...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Population Health Metrics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12963-020-00237-w |
| _version_ | 1818458998058254336 |
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| author | Enrico di Bella Luca Gandullia Lucia Leporatti Walter Locatelli Marcello Montefiori Luca Persico Roberta Zanetti |
| author_facet | Enrico di Bella Luca Gandullia Lucia Leporatti Walter Locatelli Marcello Montefiori Luca Persico Roberta Zanetti |
| author_sort | Enrico di Bella |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Most western countries are facing relevant demographic changes, and the percentage of older people is destined to rise in the next decades. This fact is likely to affect the sustainability of healthcare systems significantly, mainly due to the connected issue of chronicity. Methods In this paper, using an extensive and comprehensive administrative dataset, we analyse the phenomenon of frequent use of emergency departments (ED) in the oldest region in Europe (i.e. Liguria) over 4 years (2013–2016). Two alternative approaches are used to define categories of ED users based on the intensity and frequency of accesses and splitting patients into different age groups. Results Results allow identifying clinical and socio-demographic risk-factors connected to different levels of ED utilisation and highlight the influential role played by chronic conditions (particularly mental disorders, respiratory diseases) and by multiple chronic conditions. Conclusions The study aims at representing an informative tool to support policy-makers in setting proper policies addressed, on the one side, towards the potentially preventable frequent users and, on the other, towards those accessing due to complex medical conditions. The results can help in building a warning system to help general practitioners in the identification of potential frequent users and to develop preventive policies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T23:07:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-df7d6d58808c4607852bf816b3e053e7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1478-7954 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T23:07:21Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Population Health Metrics |
| spelling | doaj.art-df7d6d58808c4607852bf816b3e053e72022-12-21T22:44:18ZengBMCPopulation Health Metrics1478-79542020-11-0118111310.1186/s12963-020-00237-wFrequent use of emergency departments and chronic conditions in ageing societies: a retrospective analysis based in ItalyEnrico di Bella0Luca Gandullia1Lucia Leporatti2Walter Locatelli3Marcello Montefiori4Luca Persico5Roberta Zanetti6Department of Political Sciences, University of GenoaDepartment of Political Sciences, University of GenoaDepartment of Economics and Business Studies, University of GenoaA.Li.SaDepartment of Economics and Business Studies, University of GenoaDepartment of Economics and Business Studies, University of GenoaA.Li.SaAbstract Background Most western countries are facing relevant demographic changes, and the percentage of older people is destined to rise in the next decades. This fact is likely to affect the sustainability of healthcare systems significantly, mainly due to the connected issue of chronicity. Methods In this paper, using an extensive and comprehensive administrative dataset, we analyse the phenomenon of frequent use of emergency departments (ED) in the oldest region in Europe (i.e. Liguria) over 4 years (2013–2016). Two alternative approaches are used to define categories of ED users based on the intensity and frequency of accesses and splitting patients into different age groups. Results Results allow identifying clinical and socio-demographic risk-factors connected to different levels of ED utilisation and highlight the influential role played by chronic conditions (particularly mental disorders, respiratory diseases) and by multiple chronic conditions. Conclusions The study aims at representing an informative tool to support policy-makers in setting proper policies addressed, on the one side, towards the potentially preventable frequent users and, on the other, towards those accessing due to complex medical conditions. The results can help in building a warning system to help general practitioners in the identification of potential frequent users and to develop preventive policies.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12963-020-00237-wAgeingEmergency departmentsFrequent useLatent class modelRisk factors |
| spellingShingle | Enrico di Bella Luca Gandullia Lucia Leporatti Walter Locatelli Marcello Montefiori Luca Persico Roberta Zanetti Frequent use of emergency departments and chronic conditions in ageing societies: a retrospective analysis based in Italy Population Health Metrics Ageing Emergency departments Frequent use Latent class model Risk factors |
| title | Frequent use of emergency departments and chronic conditions in ageing societies: a retrospective analysis based in Italy |
| title_full | Frequent use of emergency departments and chronic conditions in ageing societies: a retrospective analysis based in Italy |
| title_fullStr | Frequent use of emergency departments and chronic conditions in ageing societies: a retrospective analysis based in Italy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Frequent use of emergency departments and chronic conditions in ageing societies: a retrospective analysis based in Italy |
| title_short | Frequent use of emergency departments and chronic conditions in ageing societies: a retrospective analysis based in Italy |
| title_sort | frequent use of emergency departments and chronic conditions in ageing societies a retrospective analysis based in italy |
| topic | Ageing Emergency departments Frequent use Latent class model Risk factors |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12963-020-00237-w |
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