Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of cases undergoing senior early assessment with the aid of the Sydney Triage to Admission Tool (START; intervention) and control groups
| Variable | Intervention (n = 355) n (%) | Control (n = 418) n (%) | P-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 0.92 | ||
| 16–19 | 4 (1.1) | 8 (1.9) | |
| 20–39 | 65 (18.3) | 76 (18.2) | |
| 40–59 | 89 (25.1) | 100 (23.9) | |
| 60–79 | 114 (32.1) | 139 (33.3) | |
| > 80 | 83 (23.4) | 95 (22.7) | |
| Gender (%) | 0.09 | ||
| Female | 193 (54.4) | 199 (47.6) | |
| Male | 155 (43.7) | 209 (50.0) | |
| Triage Category (%) | 0.42 | ||
| 5 | 4 (1.1) | 2 (0.5) | |
| 4 | 61 (17.2) | 61 (14.6) | |
| 3 | 150 (42.3) | 167 (40.0) | |
| 2 | 129 (36.3) | 175 (41.9) | |
| 1 | 11 (3.1) | 13 (3.1) | |
| Ambulance arrival (%) | 144 (40.6) | 182 (43.5) | 0.40 |
| Actual disposition (%) | 0.96 | ||
| Admitted | 219 (61.7) | 256 (61.2) | |
| Discharged | 129 (36.3) | 152 (36.4) | |
| START score (median IQR) | 22 (15–29) | 22 (17–29) | 0.90 |
| Presenting Problem (%) | 0.49 | ||
| Abdominal, Gastrointestinal | 36 (10.1) | 42 (10.0) | |
| Cardiovascular | 52 (14.6) | 74 (17.7) | |
| General symptoms | 58 (16.3) | 58 (13.9) | |
| Febrile illness | 9 (2.5) | 11 (2.6) | |
| Injury | 55 (15.5) | 71 (17.0) | |
| Respiratory | 41 (11.5) | 31 (7.4) | |
| Musculoskeletal | 13 (3.7) | 14 (3.3) | |
| Neurological | 38 (10.7) | 40 (9.6) | |
| Mental health | 12 (3.4) | 12 (2.9) | |
| Toxicological | 1 (0.3) | 4 (1.0) | |
| ENT/eye/head/neck | 6 (1.7) | 11 (2.6) | |
| Genitourinary | 9 (2.5) | 15 (3.6) | |
| Social | 1 (0.3) | ||
| Endocrine | 1 (0.3) | 2 (0.5) | |
| Obstetrics, gynaecology | 3 (0.8) | ||
| Skin, allergy | 7 (2.0) | 14 (3.3) | |
| Other medical | 13 (3.6) | 18 (4.3) |
IQR, interquartile range; ENT, ear nose throat