“When we let our patients spend the night on a stretcher, we already knew how disgraceful that was. notes Dr. Catherine Legall, head of the emergency department at Argenteuil Hospital (Val-d’Oise); We can now say with supporting numbers that it is deadly! “. Like many of her colleagues, the emergency doctor was not surprised by the results of the study published on November 6th by teams from Assistance publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Inserm and the Sorbonne University in the review JAMA Internal Medicine. This is even less surprising ” be “ Emergencies took part in the survey, along with 96 other services across France.
Dr. Legall nevertheless emphasizes: “ Meaning “ Figures revealed: The risk of dying in hospital increases from 11.1% to 15.7% for a patient over 75 who is admitted to the emergency room and waits all night for a bed in another department. . An increase of almost 40%, according to this study entitled “No Bed Night”, carried out from December 12 to 14, 2022, while a “triple epidemic” (Covid, flu and respiratory viruses) was increasing and 1,598 patients aged included over 75.
We learn that for the group of patients who are already dependent and have little or no autonomy, a night spent waiting for a hospital bed virtually doubles the risk of death. The study also shows a higher risk of complications – falls, nosocomial infections, pressure ulcers, etc.
“Persistent discomfort, lack of meals”
“We started from the recurring observation in our services that patients wait too long in the emergency room, and the equally recurring warnings that each winter is more difficult than the previous one, to launch this in-depth statistical investigation based on a cohort taking into account the comorbidities, age and initial severity of patients, explains Professor Yonathan Freund (AP-HP), who coordinated the work together with Doctor Mélanie Roussel (University of Rouen Normandy). These were implied, expected things that we have now shown to have a real connection. argues this doctor from Pitié-Salpêtrière (Paris).
He lists factors that could explain this excess mortality “not sleeping, not being adequately supervised because emergency rooms are overloaded, or not always getting treatment on time, persistent symptoms, missing meals….”
Of “preliminary retrospective studies” This indicated an increased risk of mortality in older patients, the AP-HP recalled in a press release. “For the first time, scientific proof has been provided” She also writes and demands the goal of “Zero stretcher beds” in emergencies, especially for older people, is considered a “Public health goal.” Head of State Emmanuel Macron committed to this in April “unclogging” Emergencies until the end of 2024.
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