. 2023 Jul 13;27:285. doi: 10.1186/s13054-023-04570-y

Table 2.

GRADE summary of findings comparing Indigenous versus non-Indigenous for primary outcomes

Outcome	Comparator 1 vs. 2	Study design (no. studies); Sample size	Absolute difference (95% CI)	Effect estimate (95% CI)	Certainty of evidence^†	Conclusion
ICU admission	Indigenous vs non-Indigenous	Prospective (2), Retrospective (2); Sample size range 161 to 18,742,918 people	NA	NA	ICU admissions among hospital admissions for severe sepsis: 4.7 per 1,000 (95% CI 3.8 to 5.7) vs. 0.9 per 1,000, p < 0.001; ICU admissions among patients hospitalized for H1N1: 35.3 per 100,000 (95% CI 16.5 to 54.4) vs. 5.7 per 100,000 (95% CI 1.8 to 9.9); age-adjusted incidence rate ratio: 5.2 (95% CI 2.3 to 12), p > 0.05; Annual incidence of ICU admissions among general population: 620.6 per 100,000 vs. 302.6 per 100,000; RR 2.1 (95% CI 1.78 to 2.35), p < 0.0001; ICU admissions with trauma-related injuries among general population: 847 per 1,000,000 vs. 251 per 1,000,000; incidence ratio 3.37 (95% CI 3.19 to 3.57), standardized to estimates for adult population of Australia	Low^1,2	Among general populations or hospitalized patients, there may be an increased risk in ICU admission for Indigenous compared with non-Indigenous populations
ICU mortality	Indigenous vs non-Indigenous	Retrospective cohort (8); 368,541 people in ICU	65 per 1,000	16 more per 1,000 (2 fewer to 40 more)	RR 1.14 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.34)	Low^1,3	Among people in ICU, there may be little-to-no difference in ICU mortality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations

Outcome

Comparator 1 vs. 2

Study design
(no. studies);
Sample size

Absolute difference
(95% CI)

Effect estimate
(95% CI)

Certainty
of
evidence^†

Conclusion

Comparator 2 risk

Absolute risk difference

ICU admission

Indigenous vs

non-Indigenous

Prospective (2), Retrospective (2);

Sample size range 161 to 18,742,918 people

ICU admissions among hospital admissions for severe sepsis:

4.7 per 1,000 (95% CI 3.8 to 5.7) vs. 0.9 per 1,000, p < 0.001;

ICU admissions among patients hospitalized for H1N1:

35.3 per 100,000 (95% CI 16.5 to 54.4) vs. 5.7 per 100,000 (95% CI 1.8 to 9.9); age-adjusted incidence rate ratio: 5.2 (95% CI 2.3 to 12), p > 0.05;

Annual incidence of ICU admissions among general population:

620.6 per 100,000 vs. 302.6 per 100,000; RR 2.1 (95% CI 1.78 to 2.35), p < 0.0001;

ICU admissions with trauma-related injuries among general population:

847 per 1,000,000 vs. 251 per 1,000,000; incidence ratio 3.37 (95% CI 3.19 to 3.57), standardized to estimates for adult population of Australia

Low^1,2

Among general populations or hospitalized patients, there may be an increased risk in ICU admission for Indigenous compared with non-Indigenous populations

ICU mortality

Indigenous vs

non-Indigenous

Retrospective cohort (8);

368,541 people in ICU

65 per 1,000

16 more per 1,000 (2 fewer to 40 more)

RR 1.14 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.34)

Low^1,3

Among people in ICU, there may be little-to-no difference in ICU mortality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations

CI: confidence interval; GRADE: Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation; ICU: intensive care unit; NA: not applicable; no.: number; RR: rate ratio; vs.: versus

^†Certainty of evidence was assessed for each outcome using GRADE methodology, starting at high for prognosis evidence, and downgrading ((if any) for one or more of the domains of study limitations, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, and reporting/publication bias

¹One decrement for inconsistency

²One decrement for reporting bias

³One decrement for indirectness