Idosos atendidos em serviços de urgência e emergência no Brasil: um estudo para vítimas de quedas e de acidentes de trânsito

Abstract

Population ageing is a global phenomenon and impacts the organization of society, including health services, which should be challenged to promote the well-being and care to this population. Falls and transit accidents, mainly pedestrian collisions, are major causes of accidents in elderly and that increases morbidity and mortality, reduces functional capacity and lead to premature institutionalization. This study aimed to characterize the profiles of elderly victims of traffic accidents and falls from data of Surveillance System for Violence and Accidents (VIVA), in order to better understand the problem and enable the adoption of health policies. We used the VIVA Survey, conducted in selected emergency services of The Unified Health System (SUS) in the capitals of Brazil and the Federal District in 2011. In order to build the clusters of cases for each type of accident we used the two-step procedure cluster, using the SPSS software. Of 2463 elderly patients registered in the VIVA Survey, 1965 (79.8%) suffered falls; 498 (20.2%) were victims of traffic accidents. Of elderly who suffer falls, we grouped into four clusters (n=1812): Cluster 1 (12.5%), in which all elderly had at least one disability; Cluster 2 (34.1%), in which participants were non white and the falls took place in their residence; Cluster 3 (26.9%), with a higher proportion of young and active seniors; and Cluster 4 (26.5%), with a higher proportion of seniors (80 years old or older) and white. Among the cases of traffic accidents, 446 elderly were grouped into two clusters: Cluster 1 (62.3%), with younger seniors, active, drivers or passengers; and Cluster 2 (37.7%), composed of higher age seniors, pedestrians and with more severe outcomes. The other seniors were not grouped totalizing 205 cases. Victims of falls were mainly women with low schooling and without current job. The traffic accident victims were younger, mostly men. For falls and traffic accidents, the highest proportion of cases occurs in the urban environment. Complications were similar in both, victims of falls and traffic accidents. Clusters identified allowed adoption of targeted measures of prevention, care and health promotion.