Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the control and intervention group
| Control group | Intervention group | Overall | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 239 | N = 244 | N = 483 | ||
| Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | ||
| N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | ||
| Age (years) | 52.41 (19.45) | 49.95 (18.98) | 51.17 (19.24) | 0.160 |
| Young adulthood (18–34) | 49 (20.5) | 64 (26.2) | 113 (23.4) | 0.275 |
| Middle adulthood (35–64) | 122 (51.0) | 121 (49.6) | 243 (50.3) | |
| Late adulthood (≥ 65) | 68 (28.5) | 59 (24.2) | 127 (26.3) | |
| Gender | 0.254 | |||
| Male | 112 (46.9) | 127 (52.0) | 239 (49.5) | |
| Female | 127 (53.1) | 117 (48.0) | 244 (50.5) | |
| Education level* | 0.047 | |||
| Lower education | 57 (23.8) | 69 (29.0) | 126 (26.4) | |
| Intermediate education | 96 (40.2) | 70 (29.4) | 166 (34.8) | |
| Higher education | 86 (36.0) | 99 (41.6) | 185 (38.8) | |
| Complexity of problem** | 0.967 | |||
| Low | 112 (46.9) | 112 (45.9) | 224 (46.4) | |
| Medium | 57 (23.8) | 58 (23.8) | 115 (23.8) | |
| High | 70 (29.3) | 74 (30.3) | 144 (29.8) | |
| Peak time (yes)*** | 162 (67.8) | 107 (43.9) | 269 (55.7) | 0.000 |
*6 missing education levels in the intervention group
**Low: fractures, contusions, wounds, hematomas; Medium: e.g., simple infections, kidney- or gallstones, stomach/rectal pain, bladder retention, hyperventilation; High: e.g., neurological (traumatic brain injury, headache), thromboembolic and cardiovascular diseases, multiple diagnoses
***2–7 PM, based on previous analysis of peak hours on our ED in the last 2 years