Hypothermia and motorised scooter injuries emergency presentations: Implications for socio-ecological indicators of health and wellbeing in older people

Objectives : To examine factors and outcomes of community-dwelling older people who presented in the Emergency Departments (EDs) with either hypothermia or motorised mobility scooter-related injuries Methods : A quantitative, cohort retrospective review of electronic medical records was employed to examine ED records using the FirstNet database. Results : A total of 374 ED records of patients admitted for hypothermia or motorised scooter accident at were identified in this study. The mean age was 73.5 years, with more than half (56%) were males, similarly, and over half (55%) were living without a partner. Majority of those admitted for hypothermia arrived in the EDs by ambulance (93% versus 63%, p<.001), had longer duration of stay in the hospital (82% versus 45%, p<.001) and were less likely to be discharged home (47% versus 92%, p<.001) compared with those admitted due to motorised scooter injuries. Moreover, more than a quarter (28%) of those hospitalised for hypothermia died compared to no deaths from scooter injuries. The regression analysis also showed that those admitted for scooter injuries were almost eight times (AOR: 7.76, 95% CI: 4.04 - 14.90) more likely to be discharged home compared to those admitted for hypothermia. Discussion and Implications: Identifying the factors and predictors of ED presentation of older people has implications to practice and health policies, particularly in the delivery of public health services. Findings from this study provided important insights, although from non-causal measures, on how the built environment impacts the health and wellbeing outcomes for older people.