Table 1.
Population characteristics of individuals ≥ 66 years of age with a traumatic spinal cord injury (fiscal years 2004–2014), Ontario, Canada (n = 418)
| Overall n = 418 | Polypharmacy (≥ 10 drug classes) n = 233 | < 10 drug classes n = 185 | Females n = 153 | Males n = 265 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female, n (%) | 153 (37) | 88 (38) | 65 (35) | 153 (100) | NA |
| Age at injury, mean (SD) | 75 (6) | 74 (6) | 75 (7) | 76 (6) | 74 (6)** |
| Injury level, n (%) | |||||
| 1 (cervical) | 321 (77) | 173 (74) | 148 (80) | 110 (72) | 211 (80) |
| 2 to 4 (thoracic, lumbar, sacral) | 97 (23) | 60 (26) | 37 (20) | 43 (28) | 54 (20) |
| Income quintile, n (%) | |||||
| 1 (low) | 72 (17) | 32 (17) | 40 (17) | 29 (19) | 43 (16) |
| 2 | 94 (22) | 45 (24) | 49 (21) | 37 (24) | 57 (22) |
| 3 | 81 (19) | 31 (17) | 50 (22) | 26 (17) | 55 (21) |
| 4 | 77 (18) | 34 (18) | 43 (18) | 29 (19) | 48 (18) |
| 5 (high) | 94 (22) | 43 (23) | 51 (22) | 32 (21) | 62 (23) |
| Deprivation quintile, n (%)a | |||||
| 1 (least deprived) | 93 (22) | 49 (21) | 44 (24) | 36 (24) | 57 (22)* |
| 2 | 99 (24) | 54 (23) | 45 (24) | 29 (19) | 70 (26) |
| 3 | 82 (20) | 48 (21) | 34 (18) | 23 (15) | 59 (22) |
| 4 | 85 (20) | 52 (22) | 33 (18) | 41 (27) | 44 (17) |
| 5 (most deprived) | 59 (14) | 30 (13) | 29 (16) | 24 (16) | 35 (13) |
| Continuity of care with a single health care provider, n (%)b | |||||
| <50% (low continuity of care) | 251 (60) | 154 (66) | 97 (52)** | 53 (35) | 99 (37) |
| 50–75% | 126 (30) | 65 (28) | 61 (33) | 62 (41) | 108 (41) |
| >75% (best continuity of care) | 41 (10) | 14 (6) | 27 (15) | 38 (25) | 58 (22) |
| ADG quintile, n (%)c | |||||
| 1 (low comorbidity) | 70 (17) | 28 (12) | 42 (23)** | 18 (12) | 52 (20)** |
| 2 | 119 (28) | 58 (25) | 61 (33) | 33 (22) | 86 (32) |
| 3 | 63 (15) | 42 (18) | 21 (11) | 26 (17) | 37 (14) |
| 4 | 94 (22) | 55 (24) | 39 (21) | 39 (25) | 55 (21) |
| 5 (high comorbidity) | 72 (17) | 50 (21) | 22 (12) | 37 (24) | 35 (13) |
| Pre-injury drug classes, mean (SD) | 8 (6) | 10 (6) | 5 (4)** | 10 (7) | 8 (6)** |
| In-patient rehab, n (%) | 241 (58) | 146 (63) | 95 (51)* | 78 (51) | 163 (62)* |
| Days in rehab, median (IQR)d | 66 (40–99) | 76 (42–107) | 56 (35–86)** | 59 (30–81) | 72 (42–107)** |
NA not applicable
aMaterial deprivation is a dimension of the Ontario Marginalization Index and incorporates education attainment, single parent families, government transfer payments, unemployment, income, and homes in poor repair.
b
cADG = Aggregated diagnosis groups, Johns Hopkins ACG® system. A system to classify health conditions in administrative health data over 2 years pre-injury. Larger numbers of ADGs reflect more comorbidity.
dFor those who were admitted to inpatient rehabilitation (n = 241)
*p < 0.05
**p < 0.01