• Isabelle Dufour, Nicole Dubuc, Maud-Christine Chouinard, Yohann Chiu, Josiane Courteau, and Catherine Hudon.
• École des sciences infirmières, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada.
• J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Mar 1; 69 (3): 753-761.

Background/ObjectivesFrequent geriatric users of emergency departments (EDs) represent a complex and heterogeneous population. Identifying their specific subgroups would allow the development of interventions better customized to their needs and characteristics. Thus, this study aimed to develop profiles of frequent geriatric ED users using the individual characteristics of patients.DesignThis was a retrospective cohort study.SettingDatabases from the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) were utilized. PARTICIPANTSThis study included individuals aged 65 years or older living in the community in the Province of Quebec (Canada), who consulted in an ED at least four times in the year after an ED index date (an ED visit, chosen randomly, during an index period of January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013) and who had received a diagnosis of ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) in the 2 years preceding the index date.MeasurementsA latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of frequent geriatric ED users according to their individual characteristics, including ACSC type, dementia, mental health disorders, cancer diagnosis, and comorbidity index.ResultsThe study cohort consisted of 21,393 frequent geriatric ED users. Four groups of frequent geriatric ED users were identified: people with low comorbidity (39.0%), comprising the individuals with the lowest number of physical and mental health conditions; people with cancer (32.7%); people with pulmonaryand cardiac diseases (18.1%); and people with dementia or mental health disorders (10.2%), composed of individuals with the highest proportion of common and severe mental health disease, as well as dementia. This group accounts for the highest use of overall healthcare services.ConclusionThese profiles will be useful in developing customized interventions addressing the needs of each subgroup of frequent geriatric ED users. More research is needed to bridge the remaining gaps, especially regarding the healthiest frequent geriatric users of EDs.© 2021 The American Geriatrics Society.

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