Table 1.
Patient characteristics (n=648)
| Patient characteristic | Count (%) or Median (range) |
|---|---|
| Median age at first encounter (range) | 35.2 (18.0–87.8) |
|
| |
| Sex | |
| Female | 343 (52.9%) |
| Male | 305 (47.1%) |
|
| |
| Race | |
| White | 457 (70.5%) |
| Black | 166 (25.6%) |
| Other | 25 (3.9%) |
|
| |
| Number of ED encounters | |
| 1 | 380 (58.6%) |
| 2 | 108 (16.7%) |
| 3 | 52 (8.0%) |
| >3 | 108 (16.7%) |
| Range | 1–42 |
|
| |
| Number of ED APCTs from 2001–2009 | |
| 1 | 312 (59.8%) |
| 2 | 93 (17.8%) |
| 3 | 50 (9.6%) |
| >3 | 67 (12.8%) |
| Range | 1–21 |
|
| |
| Triage complaint* | |
| Abdominal pain | 1078 (68.6%) |
| Nausea or vomiting | 173 (11.0%) |
| Gastrointestinal bleed | 126 (8.0%) |
| Fever or chills | 84 (5.3%) |
| Diarrhea | 68 (4.3%) |
| Abdominal distention | 20 (1.3%) |
| Rectal pain | 16 (1.0%) |
| Small bowel obstruction | 7 (0.5%) |
*
Denominator is total number of ED encounters (n=1572) among the 648 patients