Evaluation of the clinical status and cost analysis of patients aged 65 and over WHO applied to the emergency department DUE to traffic accident

Aim: The elderly population is increasing worldwide. Traffic accidents are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Depending on the increasing age and population, the cost required for the admission and treatment of patients aged 65 and over to the emergency department also increases. The aim of our study is to make clinical evaluation and cost analysis of patients aged 65 and over who applied due to traffic accidents. Material and methods: 110 patients aged 65 and over who applied to the emergency department due to a traffic accident were included in the study. The clinical evaluations of the patients were made retrospectively by scanning their files. Findings were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: 70% (n=77) of the patients were male and 30% (n=33) were female. The most cases were in November (16.4%)(n=18) and summer (31.8%) (n=35). Injury was most common (42.7%) in the thoracic region. Multiple trauma was present in 24.5% of the cases. The rate of death in the emergency department was 6.4%, the rate of hospitalization in the intensive care unit was 19.1%, and the rate of hospitalization was 30.9%. The overall mortality rate was 12.7%. A statistically significant difference was found between head-neck, thorax, abdomen and extremity injuries and the clinical outcomes of the cases (exitus, discharge, hospitalization) (p=0.022, p=0.003, p=0.011, p=0.013, respectively). It was determined that mortality was increased in patients with thorax, abdominal injuries and multiple traumas (p=0.02, p=0.001, p=0.001, respectively). The average length of stay in the hospital was (9.8±9.68) days, and the average cost (3555±5663) was Turkish Lira. It was determined that the cost of treatment increased in cases with extremity injury, multiple trauma, and death (p=0.006, p=0.012, p=0.004, respectively). It was observed that the cost of treatment increased as the length of hospital stay increased (r=0.602; p=0.001). Conclusion: The first approach in the emergency department is often life-saving in traffic accident patients in the elderly patient group. Prevention of traffic accidents in the elderly, adequate and timely intervention are important in terms of reducing hospital treatment costs, morbidity and mortality. Key words: Traffic accident, emergency department, elderly, cost