Unplanned emergency department attendances due to home and leisure accidents in the elderly Portugal

Abstract Home and Leisure Accidents (HLA) have been identified as a relevant public health issue with individual, societal and economic consequences. So, common cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality, especially among older people. Evidence shows that most of HLA among the older ones are associated with identifiable and modifiable risk factors. However, more detailed information about the context and characteristics of such events is needed. This study aimed to characterize the occurrence of HLA in victims aged 65 and over related to hospital Emergency Department (ED) of the National Health Service in Portugal based on hospital records, through EVITA system. A descriptive analysis of the data was performed. Bivariate comparisons were performed using Pearson’s chi-square test with a significance level of 5%. In this analysis, the statistical program SPSS V.27 was used. During the 2022 year the older people aged 65 and over represented 25% of the total of attendances in the emergency department. In the 2022 year there were 70 452 HLA in people victims aged 65+, constituting 32% of hospital ED attendances by HLA (preliminary data). The results show that 65,9% of the attendances were amongst the age group of 75 years and beyond. More frequently reported in females (64,3%) than in males (35,6%), being these differences statistically significant (p < 0,01). The summer season for both age groups had higher proportion of HLA. In both age groups 65-74 years and 75 years and over most of HLA occurred at home (65,2%; 68,8%), followed by outdoor spaces (12,2%; 6,7%), public area (3,4%; 13,6%) and transport area (9,2%; 5,5%), these differences were statistically significant (p < 0,01). Regarding to the products/agents most involved in the HLA the “floor” was the leading category in age group 65-74 years (27,1%) and in the oldest 75 years and over (43,0%). Considering that globally HLA can be prevented, this information reinforces the importance of this problem and its magnitude. Key messages • The older people represented 25% of the total of attendances in the emergency department in the year in analysis. 13% of ED attendances occurred due to HLA. • The National Injury Surveillance System provides information that allows to know the characteristics and circumstances of HLA that occur in older people.