Age and ageing
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Review
The interface between residential aged care and the emergency department: a systematic review.
emergency care for older people living in residential aged care facilities (RACF) is a complex area of health policy. The epidemiology of patient transfer between RACF and hospital emergency departments (ED), clinical outcomes and costs associated with transfer and efficacy of programs aiming to reduce transfer are not well known. ⋯ residents of RACF have a high annual risk of transfer to ED. The clinical benefit and cost effectiveness of ED care, and alternate programs to reduce ED transfer, cannot be confidently compared from published work. Further research is required to accurately describe these and to determine their comparative worth.