Table 2.
Unadjusted and adjusted outcomes of patients discharged from hospital during the December holiday period and control periods (late November and January). Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Outcome measures | Study periods | Unadjusted estimates (95% CI) | Adjusted odds ratio* (95% CI) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday (n=217 305) | Control (n=453 641) | Risk difference (%) | Odds ratio | |||
| Primary outcome | ||||||
| 30 day death or readmission | 56 253 (25.9) | 111 929 (24.7) | 1.2 (1.0 to 1.4) | 1.07 (1.05 to 1.08) | 1.09 (1.07 to 1.10) | |
| 30 day emergency department visit | 52 704 (24.3) | 104 468 (23.0) | 1.2 (1.0 to 1.4) | 1.07 (1.06 to 1.08) | 1.09 (1.07 to 1.10) | |
| 30 day rehospitalisation | 25 624 (11.8) | 51 802 (11.4) | 0.4 (0.2 to 0.5) | 1.04 (1.02 to 1.05) | 1.06 (1.04 to 1.08) | |
| 30 day death | 3216 (1.5) | 6570 (1.5) | 0.0 (0.0 to 0.1) | 1.02 (0.98 to 1.07) | 1.06 (1.02 to 1.10) | |
| Secondary outcomes | ||||||
| 7 day outpatient follow-up | 78 838 (36.3) | 216 592 (47.8) | 11.5 (11.2 to 11.7) | 0.62 (0.62 to 0.63) | 0.61 (0.60 to 0.62) | |
| 14 day outpatient follow-up | 129 337 (59.5) | 311 648 (68.7) | 9.2 (8.9 to 9.4) | 0.67 (0.66 to 0.68) | 0.65 (0.64 to 0.66) | |
| 7 day death or readmission | 28 665 (13.2) | 53 191 (11.7) | 1.5 (1.3 to 1.6) | 1.14 (1.13 to 1.16) | 1.16 (1.14 to 1.18) | |
| 7 day emergency department visit | 27 240 (12.5) | 49 888 (11.0) | 1.5 (1.4 to 1.7) | 1.16 (1.14 to 1.18) | 1.17 (1.15 to 1.19) | |
| 7 day rehospitalisation | 10 549 (4.9) | 21 023 (4.6) | 0.2 (0.1 to 0.3) | 1.05 (1.03 to 1.08) | 1.07 (1.04 to 1.09) | |
| 7 day death | 683 (0.3) | 1278 (0.3) | 0.0 (0.0 to 0.1) | 1.12 (1.02 to 1.22) | 1.14 (1.04 to 1.25) | |
| 14 day death or readmission | 40 433 (18.6) | 77 010 (17.0) | 1.6 (1.4 to 1.8) | 1.12 (1.10 to 1.13) | 1.14 (1.12 to 1.15) | |
| 14 day emergency department visit | 38 168 (17.6) | 71 882 (15.9) | 1.7 (1.5 to 1.9) | 1.13 (1.12 to 1.15) | 1.15 (1.13 to 1.16) | |
| 14 day rehospitalisation | 16 697 (7.7) | 33 321 (7.4) | 0.3 (0.2 to 0.5) | 1.05 (1.03 to 1.07) | 1.07 (1.05 to 1.09) | |
| 14 day death | 1444 (0.7) | 2872 (0.6) | 0.03 (0.0 to 0.1) | 1.05 (0.99 to 1.12) | 1.08 (1.02 to 1.14) | |
*
Adjusted for year of hospital discharge, age, sex, rural residence, Charlson comorbidity index score, socioeconomic status, length of hospital stay, arrival by ambulance, diagnosis, discharge with home supports or against medical advice previous healthcare usage (emergency department visits, rehospitalisations, outpatient visits, home care visits), and hospital type.