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Age and Ageing Advance Access published online on January 11, 2005
Age and Ageing, doi:10.1093/ageing/afi020
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Age and Ageing © British Geriatrics Society 2005; all rights reserved
Received August 2, 2004
Accepted November 10, 2004

Article

The Sherbrooke Questionnaire predicts use of emergency services

Lesley Walker 1, Konrad Jamrozik 1*, and David Wingfield 2

1 Department of Primary Care and Social Medicine, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Reynolds Building, St Dunstan’s Road, London W6 8RP, UK
2 Brook Green Medical Centre, London, UK

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Konrad Jamrozik, E-mail: k.jamrozik{at}sph.uq.edu.au


  Abstract

Background: the National Service Framework for Older People mandates the introduction of ‘intermediate care services’ to reduce emergency admissions to hospital from the population aged 75 years or more. We evaluated the predictive performance of one of the screening instruments used to identify older people who might most benefit from such services.

Methods: using multiple logistic regression, we compared responses to the six-item, self-administered Sherbrooke Questionnaire with subsequent patterns of emergency attendance and admission to hospital among the elderly population of one borough in West London.

Results: excess risk of both emergency attendance and admission became significant when two or more risk factors were present, and rose progressively with each additional factor, regardless of their nature. With each additional year of age, risks of emergency attendance and admission to hospital increased by 8% (95% CI = 6-10) and 9% (95% CI = 7-12), respectively. There were also significant independent risks associated with reporting memory problems (typical odds ratio (OR) 1.41, 95% CI = 1.14-1.75) and taking three or more medications (OR 1.65, 95% CI = 1.34-2.02), as well as large risks associated with attendance or admission in the year before screening.

Conclusions: the Sherbrooke Questionnaire is a good measure of likely need for emergency visits to hospital among the elderly. However, programmes attempting to reduce such events should also take into account the individual’s recent history of emergency attendance at hospital.

Keywords: screening, elderly, emergency, Sherbrooke Questionnaire.
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