Elderly patients presenting to a rural hospital emergency department in inland Croatia – A retrospective study

Background: Emergency departments are faced with a high influx of patients presenting for various complaints. The aim of the present study was to assess the basic characteristics of elderly patients presenting to a rural hospital emergency department in inland Croatia in 2017. Methods: Retrospective data collected from the Hospital Information System and by analysis of medical records on patients presenting to emergency department in 2017 were used in the study. Results: Study results indicated that a lower proportion of elderly individuals aged 65–74 were hospitalized following emergency department workup. A statistically significantly higher proportion of patients older than 74 years was presented to ED due to various discomforts and diseases (ICD-10 group I ; χ2 = 324.85 ; p < 0.01) than due to cardiorespiratory diseases and acute abdomen (χ2 = 285.04 ; p < 0.01). Conclusion: Our findings highlight the need for a complex approach in care for elderly people, given that they are a fragile population with multiple comorbidities, chronic diseases, atypical symptoms, and often with cognitive and functional impairments.