Background: Utilization of outpatient emergency services by nursing home residents is increasing; however, out of hours medical care (OOHC) in Germany has not yet been studied.
Objective: In Bremen the used billing codes enabled a comparison between the use of outpatient emergency care in the year before and the year after admission to a nursing home stratified by emergency departments and OOHC.
Material and methods: In this retrospective cohort study we used insurance claims data of residents in Bremen, who were insured in a large German statutory health insurance (DAK-Gesundheit). We compared the use of emergency care in hospitals or OOHC practices in the year before and the year after admission to a nursing home. The incidence rates of visits, distribution on weekdays and coded diagnoses were investigated.
Results: We included 1175 nursing home residents (77% female) with a mean age of 85 years. After admission to a nursing home the incidence rate of visits in the OOHC practices increased from 30.4 up to 63.7 and in emergency departments (ED) from 27.4 up to 50.7 per 100 person years. A total of 59% of all visits in OOHC practices were on weekends. The most common diagnoses in ED were injuries and poisoning (75%) while a wide range of diagnoses were coded in the OOHC practices.
Conclusion: There is a significant difference between diagnoses in the ED and OOHC practices. More research is needed to assess the appropriateness of care.
Keywords: Claims data; Emergency care; Germany; Health services research; Nursing home residents.