Unadjusted and adjusted odds of admission to hospital after emergency department (ED) visit (n = 217 811 ED visits) with generalized estimating equation accounting for patient-level clustering
| Variable | Unadjusted OR (95% CI) | Adjusted OR* (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, yr | ||
| < 65 | Ref. | Ref. |
| ≥ 65 | 1.27 (1.25 to 2.30) | 1.14 (1.11 to 1.16) |
| Sex | ||
| Male | Ref. | Ref. |
| Female | 0.80 (0.78 to 0.82) | 0.96 (0.93 to 0.98) |
| Income quintile | ||
| 1 (highest) | Ref. | Ref. |
| 2 | 1.03 (1.00 to 1.07) | 1.01 (0.98 to 1.05) |
| 3 | 1.04 (1.01 to 1.07) | 0.99 (0.96 to 1.03) |
| 4 | 1.02 (0.99 to 1.05) | 0.99 (0.95 to 1.02) |
| 5 (lowest) | 1.01 (0.98 to 1.04) | 0.95 (0.92 to 0.99) |
| Palliative care | 1.73 (1.69 to 1.76) | 1.48 (1.44 to 1.51) |
| Radiation 90 d before ED visit | 1.25 (1.22 to 1.29) | 1.09 (1.06 to 1.12) |
| Cancer type | ||
| Gastrointestinal | Ref. | Ref. |
| Hematological | 1.05 (1.02 to 1.09) | 1.13 (1.09 to 1.17) |
| Breast | 0.62 (0.60 to 0.64) | 0.77 (0.74 to 0.80) |
| Lung | 1.23 (1.19 to 1.27) | 1.00 (0.96 to 1.04) |
| Gynecological | 0.91 (0.87 to 0.95) | 0.92 (0.88 to 0.97) |
| Male genital | 0.96 (0.91 to 1.01) | 0.95 (0.90 to 1.00) |
| Genitourinary | 1.01 (0.96 to 1.07) | 0.98 (0.92 to 1.04) |
| Head and neck | 0.91 (0.86 to 0.96) | 0.89 (0.84 to 0.95) |
| Neurological | 1.15 (1.08 to 1.23) | 0.94 (0.87 to 1.02) |
| Melanoma | 1.0 (0.93 to 1.07) | 0.96 (0.88 to 1.03) |
| Bone or soft tissue | 1.22 (1.11 to 1.33) | 1.13 (1.02 to 1.24) |
| Endocrine | 0.97 (0.72 to 1.30) | 0.90 (0.67 to 1.22) |
| Other | 1.05 (0.98 to 1.13) | 1.02 (0.94 to 1.11) |
| Ambulance arrival | 3.74 (3.66 to 3.82) | 3.50 (3.42 to 3.59) |
| CTAS | ||
| 3 | Ref. | Ref. |
| 1–2 (highest acuity) | 2.27 (2.23 to 2.31) | 2.09 (2.05 to 2.14) |
| 4–5 (lowest acuity) | 0.19 (0.18 to 0.20) | 0.29 (0.28 to 0.31) |
| Shift | ||
| Day (8:00–16:59) | Ref. | Ref. |
| Evening (17:00–23:59) | 1.20 (1.17 to 1.22) | 0.99 (0.96 to 1.01) |
| Night (0:00–7:59) | 1.22 (1.19 to 1.25) | 0.94 (0.92 to 0.97) |
| Weekend | 0.91 (0.90 to 0.93) | 0.90 (0.88 to 0.92) |
| Hospital type | ||
| Small | Ref. | Ref. |
| Community | 2.10 (2.01 to 2.20) | 1.12 (1.06 to 1.17) |
| Academic | 3.36 (3.21 to 3.52) | 1.80 (1.71 to 1.89) |
| ED diagnosis | ||
| Pain | Ref. | Ref. |
| Infection | 3.00 (2.89 to 3.11) | 3.56 (3.44 to 3.72) |
| Gastrointestinal | 2.67 (2.57 to 2.78) | 3.23 (3.09 to 3.38) |
| Injury or MSK | 0.65 (0.62 to 0.69) | 0.81 (0.76 to 0.85) |
| Pulmonary | 2.70 (2.57 to 2.83) | 2.67 (2.53 to 2.81) |
| Cardiac | 3.13 (2.97 to 3.29) | 2.43 (2.29 to 2.57) |
| Weakness, social issues | 3.77 (3.58 to 3.97) | 3.16 (2.99 to 3.35) |
| Related to device or graft | 0.35 (0.32 to 0.38) | 0.64 (0.58 to 0.719) |
| Ill-defined | 0.29 (0.27 to 0.32) | 0.66 (0.59 to 0.73) |
| Genitourinary and nephrology | 2.06 (1.94 to 2.20) | 2.52 (2.35 to 2.70) |
| None of top 10 diagnoses | 1.80 (1.73 to 1.86) | 2.08 (1.99 to 2.16) |
Note: CI = confidence interval, CTAS = Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale, ED = emergency department, MSK = musculoskeletal, OR = odds ratio, Ref. = reference category.
↵s Adjusted for all variables enlisted in the table.