Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of study patients.
| Characteristic | Electronic checklist (N=125) | Prompted (N=171) |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 62.6 (17.6) | 60.0 (17.8) |
| Gender (male), no. (%) | 66 (52.8) | 88 (51.5) |
| Race, no. (%) | ||
| White | 52 (42.3) | 80 (47.9) |
| African American | 36 (29.3) | 44 (26.4) |
| Hispanic | 11 (8.9) | 17 (10.2) |
| Asian | 2 (1.6) | 5 (3.0) |
| Other or declined | 22 (17.9) | 21 (12.6) |
| Location prior to MICU, no. (%) | ||
| Emergency Department | 67 (54.0) | 92 (53.8) |
| General medical ward | 53 (42.7) | 64 (37.4) |
| Outside hospital transfer | 4 (3.2) | 15 (8.8) |
| Diagnosis, no. (%)a,b | ||
| Sepsis | 36 (29.0) | 66 (38.6) |
| Pneumonia | 29 (23.4) | 31 (18.1) |
| Obstructive airways disease | 4 (3.2) | 9 (5.3) |
| Other respiratoryc | 17 (13.7) | 12 (7.0) |
| GI hemorrhage | 5 (4.0) | 4 (2.3) |
| Metabolic | 8 (6.5) | 1 (0.6) |
| Neurologic | 2 (1.6) | 8 (4.7) |
| Drug intoxication/withdrawal | 1 (0.8) | 5 (2.9) |
| Other | 22 (17.7) | 35 (20.5) |
| Diagnosis, no. (%)a,d | ||
| Sepsis or pneumonia | 65 (52.4) | 97 (56.7) |
| All other diagnoses | 59 (47.6) | 74 (43.3) |
| Sepsis sub-diagnosis, no. (%)a | ||
| Pulmonary | 5 (13.9) | 18 (27.3) |
| GI | 1 (2.8) | 4 (6.1) |
| Urinary | 10 (27.8) | 9 (13.6) |
| Soft Tissue | 4 (11.1) | 7 (10.6) |
| Other or unknown | 16 (44.4) | 28 (42.4) |
| Mechanical ventilation within 24 hours of ICU admission, no. (%) | 49 (39.5) | 56 (32.8) |
| Hospital discharge disposition among survivors, no. (%)e | ||
| Home | 81 (85.3) | 104 (74.3) |
| Skilled nursing or rehabilitation facility | 10 (10.5) | 30 (21.4) |
| Long-term acute care hospital | 2 (2.1) | 5 (3.6) |
| Short-term acute care hospital | 2 (2.1) | 1 (0.7) |
| APACHE IV predicted LOS, daysf | 5.6 (1.5) | 5.6 (1.7) |
| APACHE IV predicted mortality, no. (%)f,g | 42.8 (34.2) | 46.7 (27.5) |
a
Diagnoses, including sepsis sub-diagnoses, are adapted from the APACHE IV prediction models.[19, 20]
b
P=0.012 (Fisher’s exact).
c
Includes ARDS, pulmonary hemorrhage/hemoptysis, pleural effusion, respiratory arrest, lung cancer, sleep apnea, and non-specified respiratory diagnoses.
d
P=0.46.
e
P=0.085 (Fisher’s exact).
f
Missing data: one patient.
g
P=0.043.