Hospital admission in older persons presenting with dizziness in the Emergency department

One of the most frequent chief complaints among older persons presenting in the emergency department (ED) is dizziness. Nurses in the ambulance and in the ED play an important role in managing these patients. The challenge in the ED or ambulance is to, with limited diagnostic equipment; decide the correct level of care. The aim of this study was to identify factors that differed between those who were admitted to hospital and those who were not among older persons (65+) presenting in the ED with dizziness. The method was a retrospective journal audit. The sample consisted of persons (n = 166) aged 65+ presenting in the ED with dizziness. Factors that were more frequent among those admitted to hospital were arriving with ambulance, priority and number of medications and high age. Forty percent of the dizzy patients were admitted to the hospital, 50% among those arriving with ambulance and 24% of the walk-in patients. Among the 166 patients included in the study because of dizziness, 64 different discharge diagnoses emerged, illustrating the complex nature of dizziness as a symptom. The results from this study can help the ambulance or ED nurse doing the first assessment with limited information and initiating the management, knowing what factors that are more frequent in older persons being admitted when presenting with dizziness.