Table 1.
Characteristics of patients hospitalized over two years in Victoria, Australia.
| Variable | Overall | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Nov. 2016–13 Nov. 2017 | 14 Nov. 2017–14 Nov. 2018 | ||
| Number of cases (n) | 1,696,112 | 834,045 | 862,067 |
| Female (n, %) | 877,020 (51.7) | 431,543 (51.7) | 445,477 (51.7) |
| Age groups, years. (n, %) | |||
| 20–24 | 61,465 (3.6) | 30,666 (3.7) | 30,799 (3.6) |
| 25–29 | 65,547 (3.9) | 32,465 (3.9) | 33,082 (3.8) |
| 30–34 | 72,766 (4.3) | 35,991 (4.3) | 36,775 (4.3) |
| 35–39 | 75,571 (4.5) | 37,261 (4.5) | 38,310 (4.4) |
| 40–44 | 82,135 (4.8) | 41,519 (5.0) | 40,616 (4.7) |
| 45–49 | 95,566 (5.6) | 47,104 (5.7) | 48,462 (5.6) |
| 50–54 | 103,747 (6.1) | 51,793 (6.2) | 51,954 (6.0) |
| 55–59 | 121,095 (7.1) | 59,470 (7.1) | 61,625 (7.2) |
| 60–64 | 137,130 (8.1) | 67,467 (8.1) | 69,663 (8.1) |
| 65–69 | 163,254 (9.6) | 81,217 (9.7) | 82,037 (9.5) |
| 70–74 | 170,359 (10.0) | 81,641 (9.8) | 88,718 (10.3) |
| 75–79 | 168,124 (9.9) | 82,130 (9.9) | 85,994 (10.0) |
| 80–84 | 158,335 (9.3) | 77,411 (9.3) | 80,924 (9.4) |
| ≥85 | 221,018 (13.0) | 107,910 (12.9) | 113,108 (13.1) |
| Indigenous population (n, %) | 13,888 (0.8) | 6604 (0.8) | 7284 (0.8) |
| Marital Status (n, %) | |||
| Never married | 325,672 (19.2) | 160,081 (19.2) | 165,591 (19.2) |
| Widowed | 244,190 (14.4) | 120,811 (14.5) | 123,379 (14.3) |
| Married or defacto | 955,280 (56.3) | 470,118 (56.4) | 485,162 (56.3) |
| Divorced or separated | 143,222 (8.4) | 69,762 (8.4) | 73,460 (8.5) |
| Other | 27,748 (1.6) | 13,273 (1.6) | 14,475 (1.7) |
| DRG type | |||
| Medical | 1,044,369 (61.6) | 508,577 (61.0) | 535,792 (62.2) |
| Surgical | 571,449 (33.7) | 285,911 (34.3) | 285,538 (33.1) |
| Other | 80,294 (4.7) | 39,557 (4.7) | 40,737 (4.7) |
| Emergency admission (n, %) | 839,360 (49.5) | 405,571 (48.6) | 433,789 (50.3) |
| Admission source (n, %) | |||
| Home | 1,442,065 (85.0) | 710,111 (85.1) | 731,954 (84.9) |
| Aged care residential facility | 11,302 (0.7) | 5234 (0.6) | 6068 (0.7) |
| From another hospital | 195,230 (11.5) | 95,892 (11.5) | 99,338 (11.5) |
| Other | 47,515 (2.8) | 22,808 (2.7) | 24,707 (2.9) |
| ICU stay (n, %) | 79,115 (4.7) | 39,187 (4.7) | 39,928 (4.6) |
| Admitted on weekend (n, %) | 573,292 (33.8) | 282,965 (33.9) | 290,327 (33.7) |
| Season of admission (n, %) | |||
| Spring (Sep-Nov) | 406,209 (24.0) | 204,835 (24.6) | 201,374 (23.4) |
| Summer (Dec-Feb) | 415,172 (24.5) | 203,530 (24.4) | 211,642 (24.6) |
| Autumn (Mar-May) | 433,328 (25.6) | 209,706 (25.1) | 223,622 (25.9) |
| Winter (Jun-Aug) | 441,403 (26.0) | 215,974 (25.9) | 225,429 (26.2) |
| Prior admissions in 12 months | |||
| 0 | 711,166 (41.9) | 411,233 (49.2) | 300,379 (34.8) |
| 1 | 374,576 (22.1) | 186,092 (22.3) | 188,760 (21.9) |
| ≥2 | 610,370 (36.0) | 238,009 (28.5) | 372,928 (43.3) |
| Risk category based on admission unit | |||
| 1 | 659,004 (38.9) | 324,467 (38.8) | 334,991 (38.9) |
| 2 | 503,703 (29.7) | 245,034 (29.3) | 259,133 (30.1) |
| 3 | 387,474 (22.8) | 192,039 (23.0) | 195,701 (22.7) |
| 4 | 145,931 (8.6) | 73,794 (8.8) | 72,242 (8.4) |
| In-hospital mortality (n, %) | 35,287 (2.1) | 17,535 (2.1) | 17,752 (2.1) |
| Length of stay (days), (n, %) | |||
| 1–6 | 1284,508 (75.7) | 629,370 (75.5) | 655,138 (76.0) |
| 7–13 | 248,154 (14.6) | 122,166 (14.7) | 125,988 (14.6) |
| 14–20 | 83,037 (4.9) | 41,317 (5.0) | 41,720 (4.8) |
| 21–27 | 35,457 (2.1) | 17,696 (2.1) | 17,761 (2.1) |
| ≥28 | 44,956 (2.7) | 23,496 (2.8) | 21,460 (2.5) |
DRG = diagnostic related group; ICU = intensive care unit.