Analyses of the characteristics and prognosis of elderly patients visiting a high-capacity Turkish emergency department due to an occupational accident: a cross-sectional study

Most elderly people live in low- and middle-income countries and are required to continue working. With the increasing number of elderly individuals in the workforce, occupational accidents among the elderly are predicted to remain a significant patient group for emergency departments. This study aimed to examine the descriptive characteristics of elderly individuals admitted to a tertiary-care emergency department due to occupational accidents and to identify factors that could predict their prognosis. Patients aged 65 years and older who presented to the emergency department due to an occupational accident between June 1, 2019, and June 30, 2023, were retrospectively reviewed. Data on demographic characteristics, trauma-related details, injury severity scores, ED and hospital stay durations, and mortality rates were analyzed and compared. In total, 92 elderly patients with occupational accidents were evaluated. The most common trauma mechanism was lacerations (n = 34, 37%), and the upper extremities were the most frequently affected body parts (n = 39, 42.4%). Patients with thoracic trauma, injuries from falls from heights, and higher injury severity scores had significantly longer emergency department and hospital stays (p = 0.045, p = 0.003, and p < 0.001, respectively). Occupational accidents in elderly individuals most commonly result in upper extremity injuries, with lacerations being the predominant trauma mechanism. Among elderly patients with occupational accidents, those with thoracic trauma due to falls from heights and those with high injury severity scores are associated with worse prognoses.