Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalization Characteristics in Geriatric Patients: A Retrospective Study from a Family Medicine Perspective

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics, reasons for admission, comorbidities, and factors associated with hospitalization among geriatric patients presenting to our emergency department within the past year. The findings are expected to improve emergency services, enhance care in primary and outpatient settings, and support planning of advanced geriatric care. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study included 617 patients aged ≥65 years who presented to the emergency department in 2023 and had complete records. Demographic data, admission diagnoses, comorbidities, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Results: Among the patients, 48.5% were female and 51.5% were male; 53.6% were classified as young-old. The most common causes of hospitalization were cardiovascular (17.4%), respiratory (16.3%), and neurological (15.8%) diseases. Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (79.4%). Overall, 68.1% were treated as outpatients, 31.9% were hospitalized, and 5.3% died in the emergency department. Older age and higher comorbidity burden were significantly associated with hospitalization, and were identified as independent predictors, while gender was not. Conclusion: Increasing admission rates, high comorbidity burden, and notable mortality rates in geriatric patients highlight the need for a multidisciplinary approach. Prospective studies may further improve the quality of geriatric healthcare services.