Avoidable attendance at Accident and Emergency by the elderly in Hong Kong

Twenty per cent of Accident and Emergency department attendance by the elderly in a regional hospital in Hong Kong were deemed 'avoidable'' by the attending doctors. The 'avoidable' attendants were younger and physically more independent than the appropriate attendants, and more of them were illiterate. Half of them attended the Accident and Emergency department for somatic complaints. Strategies to reduce these 'avoidable' attendances should be formulated.