Table 2. Primary and Secondary Outcomes, and Treatment Effects.
| Outcome | Intervention (n = 6,416) | Control (n = 4,391) | Effect Variable | Unadjusted Value (95% CI) | Adjusted Value§ (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Outcome: Days in-hospital within 30 days, among admitted median (interquartile range)* | 5.67 (2.69 to 12.70) | 5.79 (2.64 to 12.79) | Median difference | -0.12 (-0.30 to 0.06) | -0.48 (-0.96 to 0.00) |
| Secondary Outcomes: | |||||
| Emergency department revisits within 7 days—no. (%)† | 414 | 310 | Odds ratio | 0.91 (0.78 to 1.06) | 1.01 (0.84 to 1.22) |
| Hospital admission—no. (%) | 2,549 | 1,698 | Odds ratio | 1.05 (0.97 to 1.13) | 0.98 (0.90 to 1.06) |
| Length of stay exceeding expected length of stay, by age category—no. (%)* | 1089 | 726 | Odds ratio | 0.99 (0.88 to 1.13) | 0.91 (0.80 to 1.03) |
| 18 to 59 years | 257 | 194 | Odds ratio | 1.06 (0.83 to 1.36) | 1.03 (0.79 to 1.34) |
| 60 to 79 years | 310 | 221 | Odds ratio | 0.86 (0.69 to 1.08) | 0.73 (0.57 to 0.92) |
| >80 years | 522 | 311 | Odds ratio | 1.06 (0.88 to 1.28) | 1.00 (0.82 to 1.22) |
| Unplanned readmissions, among admitted—no. (%)‡ | 206 | 154 | Odds ratio | 0.90 (0.71 to 1.13) | 0.87 (0.69 to 1.10) |
| Mortality—no. (%) | 492 | 311 | Odds ratio | 1.09 (0.94 to 1.26) | 1.11 (0.96 to 1.30) |
* The outcome was calculated based on patients who were admitted to hospital on the index emergency department visit date (n = 2500 in the intervention, and n = 1,668 in the control group). Sixteen patients with missing data on socioeconomic status were excluded from the propensity score modeling.
† Emergency department revisits were calculated based on patients who were discharged from the emergency department on the date of the index visit (n = 3,914 in the intervention, and n = 2,696 in the control group).
‡ Unplanned readmissions were calculated based on patients who were admitted on the index emergency department visit and discharged from hospital within the follow-up period (n = 2,430 in the intervention, and n = 1,619 in the control group).
§ Propensity score models predicted treatment assignment based on the variables age, sex, socioeconomic status, number of medications, Canadian Triage Acuity Score, Emergency Department arrival time, Emergency Department arrival mode, weekday of presentation, and hospital crowding.