Emergency rooms take toll on older patients

The majority of older patients who go to emergency departments in several nations around the world are likely to start out with complex conditions that deteriorate after their visits, according to a study published in the June 25 issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine. Researchers from the Centre for Research in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Queensland, Australia, studied patients 75 years or older in emergency departments around the world to paint a picture of the unique problems they face — and how ERs can change to better serve them.