The Impact on Ambulance Mobilisations of an Increasing Age Profile of Telecare Service Users Receiving Advanced Proactive, Personalised Telecare in Spain—a Longitudinal Study 2014–2018

Abstract

Advanced proactive personalised telecare services in Spain have helped service users to live independently in their own homes for longer. Concern was however noted regarding potential impacts on ambulance mobilisations as time in the service, and mean age at cessation, increased. The purpose of this study was to investigate these impacts. A longitudinal study of a telecare service user population in Spain (n = 202.1 k to 247.9 k) was undertaken using anonymised operational data collected in the delivery of proactive and personalised telecare services over the period 2014–2018. For the studied population, ambulance mobilisation on a per-person/per-annum (pp/pa) basis reduced despite the increasing age profile at cessation and with the characteristics of the population at registration remaining otherwise similar over the period. The study identified the positive correlation coefficient between ambulance mobilisations and service user’s dependency levels, and marginal negative correlation in older age bands. In conclusion, the increasing age at cessation has not correlated with an increased proportion of higher dependency service users. Indeed, the share of those over 85 years in the high dependency level decreased. This indicates that the changes in the telecare service which appear to have contributed to increased time living independently may also have helped ensure those continuing to live independently remain in lower risk bands.