Daily-life function and self-reported quality of life of geriatric patients before and after emergency treatment

EMAAge is a mixed-methods study with a prospective, multicenter cohort study at its core focusing upon the emergency and follow-up health care of multimorbid, geriatric patients and exemplarily evaluates one of the most frequent urgent health issues of this vulnerable group: the proximal femoral fracture. The project’s main aims are to characterize the patient population in terms of daily-life function, independence, and quality of life before and after admission to the emergency department, and to identify potentials for health care improvements. Patients are consecutively recruited in the 8 Berlin-Mitte emergency departments. Primary data are collected through standardized face-to-face interviews during patients’ hospital stay, and 6 months follow-up interviews. Secondary data from Hospital Information Systems are linked to primary data. Additionally, professional health care providers from all relevant professions and settings are interviewed qualitatively.