Table 1 Comparison of patient and hospital stay factors by year of admission.
| Variable | 2002 (n = 5476) | 2003–2004 (n = 11984) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age* | 60.72 (20.5) | 60.67 (20.3) | 0.87 |
| LOS† | 7 (3–14.8) | 5 (2–2) | <0.0001 |
| LOS for long term care† | 51 (37–81) | 48 (37–79) | 0.431 |
| Charlson index† | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | <0.0001 |
| Males‡ (%) | 49.4% | 47.7% | 0.032 |
| MDC‡ | |||
| 4 | 1439 (34.9%) | 3164 (36.8%) | 0.02 |
| 5 | 922 (22.4) | 1896 (22.1) | |
| 1 | 842 (20.4) | 1556 (18.1) | |
| 6 | 607 (14.7) | 1324 (15.4) | |
| 7 | 314 (7.6) | 655 (7.6) | |
| Long term care‡ | 10.3% | 7.9% | <0.0001 |
LOS, length of stay ⩽30 days. Long term care are those with LOS >30 days.
MDC, major disease category: MDC 4 = respiratory system disorders; MDC 5 = circulatory system disorders; MDC 1 = nervous system disorders; MDC 6 = digestive system disorders; MDC 7 = hepatobiliary system and pancreatic disorders.
*Mean (SD) and t test for comparison.
†Median (interquartile range) and non‐parametric Wilcoxon rank sum test for comparison.
‡Percentages and χ2 test for comparison.