An understanding of what the most vulnerable older Australians genuinely want from emergency care remains under-discovered. The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research describes the importance of consumer input. Yet, current research on meeting needs primarily focuses on system-level outcomes, such as interventions to reduce emergency department (ED) presentations or shorten length of stay. While these metrics are valuable, they fail to capture and confirm what matters to the consumer. For example, aged care facility (ACF) residents’ decision to transfer to an ED for care is influenced by other considerations such as symptom relief and time spent alone. Furthermore, much of the existing research on older peoples’ preferences is focused on older people living in other countries and/or is outdated.

This project aims to understand what matters when older people – especially those living with frailty- need emergency care. It uses surveys, face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions with older Australian consumers and their caregivers to explore their perceptions of the pros and cons of different emergency service models of care. Existing models of care will be identified through an environmental scan. We will recruit consumers from the Australian Frailty Network, and supplement that national group with responses from Queensland older people attending Queensland EDs, and ACF leaders and residents. This project includes metropolitan, regional and rural consumer voices, providing a comprehensive description of what matters to older people to inform ED service delivery. Ultimately, a framework of consumer-identified aspects of quality emergency care delivery will be formulated.