Abstract

Objective: To explore emergency hospitalisations from Victorian residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of Victorian RACFs transfers to ED from 2015/16 to 2022/23. Main outcome measures: (1) ED event rate per 100 RACF beds; (2) Number of ED events, day/time, triage category, reason, comorbidity profile, length of stay, death within 12 months of ED presentation and costs; (3) Relationship between resident characteristics and total ED events; (4) Number of inpatient events, comorbidity profile, length of stay, intensive care use, preventable hospitalisations, diagnosis-related group, deaths and costs. Results: The rate of ED presentations from Victorian RACFs from 2015/16 to 2022/23 ranged from 77 to 91 ED events per 100 RACF beds. Associated costs for ED and inpatient stay were over $2.8B. An advance care directive or substitute decision maker was unavailable for 84% of ED events. Eighty-seven per cent of residents presenting to ED were admitted; 90% for medical DRGs. Sixteen per cent of inpatient stays were potentially preventable under the national definition. Conclusion: Victorian RACF residents make substantial use of hospitals. This study highlights a significant gap in advance care planning (ACP), with causes potentially linked to inadequate planning, poor document quality or lack of accessibility. To enhance hospital-RACF interactions, it is essential to identify and address unmet palliative care needs at policy, planning, and practice levels, ensuring person-centred care for residents in their final years.

RAS ID

83510

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

8-1-2025

Volume

37

Issue

4

PubMed ID

40620043

School

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Publisher

Wiley

Comments

Alan, J. J., Laging, B., Cameron, P., Laging, R., Boyd, J., Porock, D., & Randall, S. (2025). Enhancing person-centred care in the final years of life: Insights from emergency department visits and hospitalisations in Victorian residential aged care (2015/16 to 2022/23). Emergency Medicine Australasia, 37(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.70092

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