Table 1.
Characteristics of patients visiting the ED for falls on high-fall and control days, after winter weather events, based on syndromic surveillance data, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2006-2011a
| ED Visits, No. (%)b | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variables | High-Fall Days (n = 15 d) | Control Days (n = 243 d) | OR (95% CI) | aOR (95% CI)c |
| Total fall-related ED visits | 3463 (100.0) | 25 766 (100.0) | ||
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 2004 (57.9) | 15 295 (59.4) | 1.0 [Reference] | 1.0 [Reference] |
| Male | 1459 (42.1) | 10 471 (40.6) | 1.1 (1.0-1.1) | 1.1 (1.0-1.2) |
| Age, yd | ||||
| <18 | 282 (8.1) | 3811 (14.8) | 1.0 [Reference] | 1.0 [Reference] |
| 18-64 | 2450 (70.7) | 14 022 (54.4) | 2.4 (2.1-2.7) | 2.2 (2.0-2.5) |
| ≥65 | 730 (21.1) | 7903 (30.7) | 1.2 (1.0-1.5) | 1.2 (1.0-1.5) |
| Time of visit | ||||
| 8:00 pm–6:59 am | 750 (21.7) | 6347 (24.6) | 1.0 [Reference] | 1.0 [Reference] |
| 7:00 am–10:59 am | 991 (28.6) | 4805 (18.6) | 1.7 (1.3-2.3) | 1.7 (1.3-2.2) |
| 11:00 am–3:59 pm | 1073 (31.0) | 8736 (33.9) | 1.0 (0.9-1.2) | 1.1 (0.9-1.2) |
| 4:00 pm–7:59 pm | 649 (18.7) | 5878 (22.8) | 0.9 (0.8-1.1) | 1.0 (0.8-1.1) |
Abbreviations: aOR, adjusted odds ratio; ED, emergency department; OR, odds ratio.
aUnpublished patient registration data from 21 hospital EDs throughout the Philadelphia area, collected as part of routine public health syndromic surveillance; limited to the months of December, January, February, and March. High-fall days were defined as days when the number of ED visits for falls exceeded the median number of ED visits for falls per day during the study period plus 3 SDs. Matched control days consisted of the same days of the week (eg, Monday, Tuesday) as the high-fall days from the same winter (16 to 17 control days per high-fall day).
bPercentages may not total to 100 because of rounding.
cAdjusted for sex, age, and time of visit.
dAge was missing for 1 ED visit on a high-fall day and for 30 ED visits on control days.