What do older people want from urgent care?

Details

Emergency departments worldwide are under pressure. Older people are disproportionately represented among their patients, and many attend for nonlife-threatening ailments that could be treated elsewhere. Urgent care services have been established to ease emergency department pressure and may be a better alternative for older people with urgent but nonlife-threatening health issues. The study sought to understand older people’s needs and preferences when accessing urgent care and what an ideal journey through such a service would look like.

This qualitative study used three consumer workshops in Adelaide, South Australia. Engagement activities were designed and facilitated by an organisation established to advocate for older people’s rights and interests. The primary analysis used a framework analysis approach to identify key themes and meanings in audio-recorded data and workshop outputs, including maps, notes and lists. The team held regular meetings to discuss findings and enhance study rigour.

A total of 39 people aged 65 and older participated. Of the 39 participants, 24 were female (62%), 26 were born in Australia (67%), and 36 spoke only English at home (92%). Most had recent emergency department experience: 33 participants (85%).

Four themes emerged: accessible and responsive services; age-appropriate expert care; having staff listen to the person and their story; and safe, well-planned discharge. Participants also felt that more information about urgent care services for older people should be available to the public. The study identified older people’s needs and preferences for accessing urgent care. The researchers concluded that services should consider these preferences when implementing or refining urgent care to maximise acceptability.

The workshops engaged service users to explore and articulate their needs and preferences for developing urgent care for people aged 65 and older. Public participants evaluated currently available services and reflected on their ideal future design. Service users’ experiences and priorities were the primary data sources. The study emphasised lived experience, seeking to listen, learn and reflect collaboratively to understand and propose improvements through a co-design process.