Characteristics of enrolled patients (n=6376) and system factors related to their paediatric emergency department (ED) visit
| Variable | Total number* | n (%) |
| Patient characteristics | ||
| Female sex | 6376 | 2906 (45.6) |
| Age (years), median (IQR) | 6376 | 4.36 (1.6, 9.8) |
| Visible minority† | 4578 | 1545 (33.7) |
| English or French is not spoken in the home by either parent | 6322 | 574 (9.1) |
| Both parents immigrated in the last 5 years | 6329 | 380 (6.0) |
| Medication taken before ED visit | 6347 | 1753 (27.6) |
| Chronic medical condition‡ | 6347 | 1298 (20.5) |
| Pediatric Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (pedCTAS) | 6374 | |
| 1—Resuscitation | 35 (0.5) | |
| 2—Emergent | 857 (13.4) | |
| 3—Urgent | 2642 (41.4) | |
| 4—Semiurgent | 2624 (41.2) | |
| 5—Non-urgent | 216 (3.4) | |
| Chief presenting complaint (top five) | 6375 | |
| Cough/congestion | 881 (13.8) | |
| Fever | 817 (12.8) | |
| Upper extremity injury | 436 (6.8) | |
| Vomiting and/or nausea | 408 (6.4) | |
| Abdominal pain | 383 (6.0) | |
| Arrived by ambulance | 6358 | 331 (5.2) |
| Mental health presentation | 6374 | 126 (2.0) |
| Disposition at enrolment ED visit | 6376 | |
| Admitted | 421 (6.6) | |
| Discharged | 5809 (91.1) | |
| Left without being seen/against medical advice | 146 (2.3) | |
| System factors | ||
| First service involved | 6252 | |
| ED-specific services | 6164 (98.6) | |
| Direct to a consulting service | 88 (1.4) | |
| Needed a consultation§ | 6243 | 551 (8.8) |
| Location in ED¶ | 6376 | |
| Acute care area | 4094 (64.2) | |
| Ambulatory zone/minor treatment area | 2282 (35.8) | |
| Time of presentation | 6376 | |
| Day (08:00–15:59) | 2794 (43.8) | |
| Evening (16:00–23:59) | 2777 (43.6) | |
| Night (24:00–07:59) | 805 (12.6) | |
| Weekday presentation (Monday to Friday) | 6376 | 4480 (70.3) |
| Time to physician assessment from triage (hours), mean (SD) | 6093 | 1.5 (1.5) |
| Number of staff physicians involved in patient care** | 6237 | |
| 1 | 5886 (94.4) | |
| ≥2 | 351 (5.6) | |
*If total is less than 6376 for all variables up to and including ‘time to physician assessment from triage’, data are missing.
†Questions about self-identified race/ethnicity were asked using Canadian census categories and responses were then categorised as visible minority—yes/no. The term visible minority is defined by the Government of Canada census as ‘persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour’. This question was added to the study after patient recruitment had begun, and thus is missing for some participants; some participants chose not to answer.
‡Defined as a condition needing ongoing, regular follow-up or regular medication use (eg, asthma, cancer, kidney disease, congenital heart disease, diabetes).
§Patients deemed to have needed a consultation include those seen directly by consulting services and those seen by ED services initially and then referred to a consulting service.
¶Participating EDs are divided into two main areas. Patients triaged as requiring resuscitation and emergent care (pedCTAS 1 and 2) and most patients triaged urgent (pedCTAS 3) are seen in acute care areas. Patients with semiurgent and non-urgent complaints (pedCTAS 4 and 5) and minor injuries are typically managed in ambulatory/minor treatment zones.
**Includes patients seen directly by ED services or directly by consultant services. It does not include patients who left without being seen (n=139).