Baseline characteristics of patient population for all 13 495 patients and those who returned to the ED and those who suffered adverse events and preventable adverse events
| Patient characteristic | All patients N=13 495 (%) | Patients with return ED visits N=923 (%) | Patients with adverse events N=53 (%) | Patients with preventable adverse events N=30 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | ||||
| Median (IQR) | 47 (31–65) | 49 (32–67) | 54 (34–73) | 54 (34–74) |
| Sex | ||||
| Female, n (%) | 7124 (52.8%) | 456 (49.4%) | 25 (47.2%) | 14 (46.7%) |
| CTAS | ||||
| 1 | 96 (0.7%) | 10 (1.1%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| 2 | 3615 (26.8%) | 279 (30.2%) | 21 (39.6%) | 12 (40.0%) |
| 3 | 7063 (52.3%) | 491 (53.2%) | 24 (45.3%) | 15 (50.0%) |
| 4 | 2377 (17.6%) | 130 (14.1%) | 8 (15.1%) | 3 (10.0%) |
| 5 | 344 (2.5%) | 13 (1.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Campus | ||||
| Civic | 6804 (50.4%) | 461 (49.9%) | 26 (49.1%) | 16 (53.3%) |
| General | 6691 (49.6%) | 462 (50.1%) | 27 (50.9%) | 14 (46.7%) |
| Arrived by ambulance | 3489 (25.9%) | 287 (31.1%) | 15 (28.3%) | 8 (26.7%) |
| Previous inpatient/ED visit last 6 months | 5246 (38.9%) | 540 (58.5%) | 29 (54.7%) | 15 (50.0%) |
| Any radiology during ED visit* | 5860 (43.4%) | 360 (39.0%) | 34 (64.2%) | 20 (66.7%) |
| Consult requested on index ED visit | 3759 (27.9%) | 247 (26.8%) | 15 (28.3%) | 9 (30.0%) |
| ED disposition home/residence | 10 616 (78.7%) | 742 (80.4%) | 47 (88.7%) | 28 (93.3%) |
| Most common ED discharge diagnostic categories | ||||
| Abdominal pain | 667 (4.9%) | 54 (5.9%) | 4 (7.5%) | 3 (10.0%) |
| Chest pain | 571 (4.2%) | 30 (3.3%) | 3 (5.7%) | 1 (3.3%) |
| Back pain | 353 (2.6%) | 24 (2.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Cellulitis | 292 (2.2%) | 35 (3.8%) | 2 (3.8%) | 1 (3.3%) |
| Wrist/hand wounds | 207 (1.5%) | 10 (1.1%) | 1 (1.9%) | 1 (3.3%) |
| Mental and behavioural disorders | 190 (1.4%) | 28 (3.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Congestive heart failure | 87 (0.6%) | 6 (0.7%) | 3 (5.7%) | 1 (3.3%) |
| Pharyngitis | 82 (0.6%) | 7 (0.8%) | 2 (3.8%) | 0 (0.0%) |
*Radiology includes: chest X-ray, abdominal X-ray, X-rays of extremities, CT head, CT chest, CT abdomen and pelvis, ultrasound abdomen and pelvis.
CTAS, Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale; ED, emergency department.