AI Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on understanding the characteristics of patients who died in hospital emergency departments in Aragon, Spain, particularly in relation to their comorbidities as measured by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI).
- The research, conducted from 2013 to 2017, found that patients had a high mean CCI score of 6.58, with a significant number being elderly males and experiencing long waits before death.
- The findings highlight the prevalence of serious health issues among these patients, emphasizing the need for improved emergency department care that accommodates ongoing and palliative treatment as the population ages.
Article Abstract
Objectives: To describe the clinical and personal characteristics of patients who died in hospital emergency departments in Aragon, Spain, and explore associations with the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI).
Material And Methods: Descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study of deaths between 2013 and 2017. Data was extracted from the clinical database for hospital emergencies (official name, Puesto Clínico Hospitalario). Associations between variables and the CCI were explored with the χ2 test (significance level P<.05).
Results: The mean CCI was 6.58. A total of 1177 patients had CCIs of 7 or higher. The mean age was 81.1 years, and 52.1% were men. The mean (SD) time until death in the emergency department was 639 (777) minutes. The CCI was significantly associated with most clinical and personal variables studied, with the exception of sex and year.
Conclusion: Patients who die in Aragon's emergency departments have high levels of comorbidity. A large proportion of patients are of advanced age. Polypharmacy and advanced chronic conditions are common. We stress the need to implement emergency department approaches to ongoing and palliative care for this group, which is growing as the population ages.
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