Evaluating emergency department admissions, hospitalization reasons and duration, clinical diagnoses, comorbidities, age groups and gender charecteristics of geriatric patients in a university hospital over the past year from the perspective of family medicine

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics of geriatric patients presenting to our hospital's emergency department within the past year. Specifically, chief complaints, comorbidities, hospitalization indications, length of hospital stay, and their relationship with mortality were examined. The findings are expected to contribute to improving healthcare services for older adults not only in emergency care but also in primary care and outpatient settings, and to support planning for advanced geriatric referral centers. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study retrospectively analyzed the records of patients aged 65 years and older who presented to the adult emergency department during 2023. A total of 617 patients with complete demographic data, admission diagnoses, comorbidities, hospitalization reasons, and length of stay documented in medical records and discharge summaries were included. Results: Among the 617 geriatric patients, 299 (48.5%) were female and 318 (51.5%) were male. Based on age classification, 53.6% belonged to the young-old group. The most frequent causes of emergency presentation were cardiovascular (17.4%), respiratory (16.3%), and neurological conditions (15.8%). Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (79.4%). While 68.1% of patients were managed on an outpatient basis, 31.9% required hospitalization, and 5.3% were recorded as deceased in the emergency department. Conclusion: The increasing rate of emergency and hospital admissions among geriatric patients underscores the need for comprehensive and multidisciplinary healthcare approaches. High comorbidity, hospitalization, and mortality rates highlight the importance of strengthening geriatric-focused services. Prospective studies addressing this population are essential to further enhance care quality.