[Characteristics and resource use of emergency department users older than 75 years. Results from a French national study].

Background: Because the elderly tend to have complex and multiple diseases, they are likely to use emergency department (ED) resources at higher rates than other age groups. This study sought to determine the characteristics and resource use of the elderly patients (>or=75 years old) visiting EDs in France and assessed the effect of age on resource use.

Methods: The sample was selected from the DREES prospective study of 150 French EDs for one week in 2002.