Table 1.
Patient and ED Characteristics
| Characteristic | Timely use of SCs (n = 1,240) | Delayed use of SCs (n = 1,319) | Nonuse of SCs (n = 1,239) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic Factors | ||||
| Age, median (IQR), y | 34 (24–43) | 35 (25–44) | 32 (22–42) | <.001 |
| Female sex, % | 62 | 67 | 64 | .03 |
| Race/ethnicity, %a | .054 | |||
| White | 35 | 33 | 33 | |
| Black | 47 | 48 | 45 | |
| Hispanic | 16 | 15 | 19 | |
| Other | 2 | 4 | 3 | |
| Chronic Asthma Factors | ||||
| Admitted for asthma in past year, % | 13 | 8 | 6 | <.001 |
| ED visit for asthma in past year, % | 27 | 26 | 18 | <.001 |
| Ever intubated or ventilated for asthma, % | 13 | 7 | 5 | <.001 |
| ED Presentation | ||||
| Time from symptom onset to ED presentation, % | <.001 | |||
| <1 d | 40 | 26 | 42 | |
| 1–3 d | 42 | 45 | 35 | |
| 4–7 d | 11 | 16 | 12 | |
| >7 d | 7 | 12 | 10 | |
| Time of ED presentation, % | <.001 | |||
| Midnight to 7:59 AM | 29 | 17 | 22 | |
| 8 AM to 3:59 PM | 36 | 40 | 41 | |
| 4 PM to 11:59 PM | 36 | 43 | 37 | |
| Initial respiratory rate, median (IQR), breaths/min | 24 (20–26) | 20 (18–24) | 20 (18–24) | <.001 |
| Initial oxygen saturation, median (IQR), % | 97 (94–99) | 97 (95–99) | 98 (96–99) | <.001 |
| Initial PEF, median (IQR), L/minb | 220 (150–300) | 240 (165–300) | 270 (200–350) | <.001 |
| Severity based on initial PEF, %bc | <.001 | |||
| Mild | 17 | 21 | 33 | |
| Moderate | 37 | 38 | 43 | |
| Severe | 32 | 31 | 20 | |
| Very severe | 14 | 10 | 5 | |
| ED Outcomes | ||||
| ED length of stay, median (IQR), min | 152 (105–240) | 218 (152–315) | 145 (92–231) | <.001 |
| ED disposition, % | <.001 | |||
| Sent home | 73 | 78 | 87 | |
| Admission (hospital ward/observation unit) | 21 | 19 | 9 | |
| ICU admission | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| Other (eg, left against medical advice) | 3 | 2 | 3 | |
| ED Characteristics | ||||
| Urban location, % | 100 | 100 | 100 | NA |
| Census region, % | .05 | |||
| Northeast | 39 | 44 | 43 | |
| Midwest | 30 | 25 | 25 | |
| South | 12 | 12 | 12 | |
| West | 20 | 19 | 21 | |
| Residency affiliated, % | 75 | 79 | 76 | .07 |
| ED visits per year, median (IQR), No. | 60,000 (45,000–75,595) | 60,000 (45,000–74,416) | 55,100 (43,000–74,416) | .08 |
| ED visits for asthma per year, median (IQR), No. | 1,020 (511–1,825) | 1,020 (511–1,767) | 1,011 (511–1,663) | .78 |
| ED beds, median (IQR), No. | 39 (27–50) | 40 (28–50) | 39 (27–46) | .002 |
| Had a policy that allowed ambulance diversion, % | 94 | 94 | 94 | .98 |
| Average patient wait times in the past year, median (IQR), min | 60 (34–100) | 60 (46–120) | 60 (45–120) | <.001 |
Abbreviations: ED, emergency department; ICU, intensive care unit; IQR, interquartile range; NA, not applicable; PEF, peak expiratory flow; SC, systemic corticosteroid.
a
Documented for 2,427 patients.
b
Documented for 1,735 patients.
c
See the “Methods” section of the text for details on classification.