• Anna E Bone, Catherine J Evans, Lesley A Henson, Wei Gao, Irene J Higginson, and BUILDCARE study.
• Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, King's College London, UK.
• Age Ageing. 2019 Sep 1; 48 (5): 680-687.

Backgroundfrequent emergency department (ED) attendance at the end of life disrupts care continuity and contradicts most patients' preference for home-based care.Objectiveto examine factors associated with frequent (≥3) end of life ED attendances among older people to identify opportunities to improve care.Methodspooled data from two mortality follow-back surveys in England. Respondents were family members of people aged ≥65 who died four to ten months previously. We used multivariable modified Poisson regression to examine illness, service and sociodemographic factors associated with ≥3 ED attendances, and directed content analysis to explore free-text responses.Results688 respondents (responses from 42.0%); most were sons/daughters (60.5%). Mean age at death was 85 years. 36.5% had a primary diagnosis of cancer and 16.3% respiratory disease. 80/661 (12.1%) attended ED ≥3 times, accounting for 43% of all end of life attendances. From the multivariable model, respiratory disease (reference cancer) and ≥2 comorbidities (reference 0) were associated with frequent ED attendance (adjusted prevalence ratio 2.12, 95% CI 1.21-3.71 and 1.81, 1.07-3.06). Those with ≥7 community nursing contacts (reference 0 contacts) were more likely to frequently attend ED (2.65, 1.49-4.72), whereas those identifying a key health professional were less likely (0.58, 0.37-0.88). Analysis of free-text found inadequate community support, lack of coordinated care and untimely hospital discharge were key issues.Conclusionsassigning a key health professional to older people at increased risk of frequent end of life ED attendance, e.g. those with respiratory disease and/or multiple comorbidities, may reduce ED attendances by improving care coordination.© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

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