Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients discharged during the December holiday period and control periods (late November and January). Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Study periods | SD* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday (n=217 305) | Control (n=453 641) | ||
| Year of hospital discharge†: | |||
| 2002 | 17 485 (8.0) | 37 411 (8.2) | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 18 329 (8.4) | 37 072 (8.2) | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 17 324 (8.0) | 35 678 (7.9) | 0.00 |
| 2005 | 15 327 (7.1) | 33 978 (7.5) | 0.02 |
| 2006 | 15 004 (6.9) | 30 956 (6.8) | 0.00 |
| 2007 | 14 349 (6.6) | 30 167 (6.6) | 0.00 |
| 2008 | 14 053 (6.5) | 29 955 (6.6) | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 14 265 (6.6) | 30 234 (6.7) | 0.00 |
| 2010 | 14 724 (6.8) | 29 764 (6.6) | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 14 418 (6.6) | 31 193 (6.9) | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 15 509 (7.1) | 31 366 (6.9) | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 15 498 (7.1) | 31 773 (7.0) | 0.00 |
| 2014 | 15 896 (7.3) | 32 001 (7.1) | 0.01 |
| 2015 | 15 124 (7.0) | 32 093 (7.1) | 0.00 |
| Patient age (years)‡: | |||
| <18 | 30 195 (13.9) | 62 897 (13.9) | 0.00 |
| 18-64 | 96 895 (44.6) | 206 684 (45.6) | 0.02 |
| ≥65 | 90 215 (41.5) | 184 060 (40.6) | 0.02 |
| Female | 107 466 (49.5) | 228 249 (50.3) | 0.02 |
| Rural residence | 32 016 (14.7) | 68 815 (15.2) | 0.01 |
| Income fifth§: | |||
| 1 (lowest) | 49 491 (22.8) | 103 747 (22.9) | 0.00 |
| 2 | 45 452 (20.9) | 94 616 (20.9) | 0.00 |
| 3 | 42 039 (19.3) | 88 370 (19.5) | 0.00 |
| 4 | 41 637 (19.2) | 85 902 (18.9) | 0.01 |
| 5 (highest) | 37 569 (17.3) | 78 547 (17.3) | 0.00 |
| Median (interquartile range) length of hospital stay (days) | 3 (2-6) | 3 (2-7) | 0.08 |
| Arrival by ambulance at index admission | 71 036 (32.7) | 141 767 (31.3) | 0.03 |
| Charlson comorbidity index score: | |||
| 0 (lowest) | 113 977 (52.5) | 240 153 (52.9) | 0.01 |
| 1 | 43 413 (20.0) | 86 556 (19.1) | 0.02 |
| 2 | 24 728 (11.4) | 52 023 (11.5) | 0.00 |
| 3 | 14 198 (6.5) | 29 772 (6.6) | 0.00 |
| ≥4 (highest) | 20 989 (9.7) | 45 137 (9.9) | 0.01 |
| Discharged against medical advice | 3027 (1.4) | 5658 (1.2) | 0.01 |
| Discharged with support services | 34 783 (16.0) | 78 155 (17.2) | 0.03 |
| Outpatient visits with physicians in past year¶: | |||
| 0-5 | 73 248 (33.7) | 150 037 (33.1) | 0.01 |
| 6-10 | 52 313 (24.1) | 109 320 (24.1) | 0.00 |
| 11-15 | 36 623 (16.9) | 77 413 (17.1) | 0.01 |
| >15 | 55 121 (25.4) | 116 871 (25.8) | 0.01 |
| Assigned primary care provider | 207 160 (95.3) | 433 365 (95.5) | 0.01 |
| Emergency room visits in past 6 months¶: | |||
| 0 | 90 716 (41.7) | 189 618 (41.8) | 0.00 |
| 1 | 64 674 (29.8) | 132 115 (29.1) | 0.01 |
| ≥2 | 61 915 (28.5) | 131 908 (29.1) | 0.01 |
| ≥1 urgent hospital admissions in past year | 57 177 (26.3) | 121 453 (26.8) | 0.01 |
| ≥1 elective hospital admission in past year | 18 292 (8.4) | 38 576 (8.5) | 0.00 |
| ≥1 home care visits in past 6 months | 16 078 (7.4) | 34 211 (7.5) | 0.01 |
| Hospital type: | |||
| Teaching | 54 481 (25.1) | 114 760 (25.3) | 0.01 |
| Community | 144 601 (66.5) | 299 320 (66.0) | 0.01 |
| Small | 8803 (4.1) | 19 138 (4.2) | 0.01 |
| Paediatric | 6,220 (2.9) | 13 016 (2.9) | 0.00 |
| Rural location | 32 016 (14.7) | 68 815 (15.2) | 0.01 |
| Missing | 3200 (1.5) | 7407 (1.6) | 0.01 |
| Diagnostic category for most responsible diagnosis**: | |||
| Diseases of circulatory system | 35 757 (16.5) | 77 256 (17.0) | 0.02 |
| Diseases of digestive system | 33 963 (15.6) | 71 608 (15.8) | 0.00 |
| Diseases of respiratory system | 33 696 (15.5) | 56 085 (12.4) | 0.09 |
| Symptoms, signs, and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified | 21 041 (9.7) | 46 743 (10.3) | 0.02 |
| Injury, poisoning, and certain other consequences of external causes | 22 049 (10.1) | 44 670 (9.8) | 0.01 |
| Diseases of genitourinary system | 10 416 (4.8) | 22 613 (5.0) | 0.01 |
| Mental and behavioural disorders | 8630 (4.0) | 22 052 (4.9) | 0.04 |
| Neoplasms | 7032 (3.2) | 15 981 (3.5) | 0.02 |
| Pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium | 6090 (2.8) | 12 787 (2.8) | 0.00 |
| Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases | 6753 (3.1) | 13 905 (3.1) | 0.00 |
*
Standardised difference of means.
†
Fiscal year from 1 April to 31March.
‡
Grouped by life stage: children, adults, and older adults.
§
Missing observations n=1117 for holiday, n=2459 for control.
¶
Categorised on basis of most common values.
**
Top 10 most common diagnostic categories (holiday and control groups combined).