Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Randomized Controlled Trial
An initiative to provide emergency healthcare for older people in the community: the impact on carers.
The increase in the size and age of the UK older population has had a major effect on emergency services. Many older people will visit the emergency department but not necessarily require significant clinical intervention. The Paramedic Practitioner in Older People's Support (PPOPS) scheme was set up to provide community-based clinical assessment of older patients contacting the emergency services with minor acute conditions as an alternative approach to emergency department transfer. ⋯ The carers in the PPOPS group were more likely to report greater satisfaction with their impression of care and staff attitude and would prefer treatment at home for the patient than those in the emergency department group (p<0.001). A minor health event does impact on the life of a carer. However, community-based schemes, such as PPOPS, do not increase the burden on carers and have high levels of satisfaction among this important group of the community.