Variations in older people’s emergency care use by social care setting: a systematic review of international evidence

Abstract

Background Older adults’ use of social care and their healthcare utilization are closely related. Residents of care homes access emergency care more often than the wider older population; however, less is known about emergency care use across other social care settings. Sources of data A systematic review was conducted, searching six electronic databases between January 2012 and February 2022. Areas of agreement Older people access emergency care from a variety of community settings. Areas of controversy Differences in study design contributed to high variation observed between studies. Growing points Although data were limited, findings suggest that emergency hospital attendance is lowest from nursing homes and highest from assisted living facilities, whilst emergency admissions varied little by social care setting. Areas timely for developing research There is a paucity of published research on emergency hospital use from social care settings, particularly home care and assisted living facilities. More attention is needed on this area, with standardized definitions to enable comparisons between studies.