TABLE 2.
Demographic and Clinical Characteristics by ED Discharge Disposition
| All Patients (n=7549) | All Hospital Admissions (n=2927) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient Characteristics | ED Only, n (%) | Admitted, n (%) | Admit Non-ICU, n (%) | Admit ICU, n (%) |
| Total | 4622 (61.2) | 2927 (38.8) | 2360 (80.6) | 567 (19.4) |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||
| White | 549 (45.1) | 668 (54.9)* | 571 (85.5) | 97 (14.5)* |
| Black | 2033 (67.2) | 994 (32.8) | 786 (79.1) | 208 (20.9) |
| Hispanic | 2040 (61.7) | 1265 (38.3) | 1003 (79.3) | 262 (20.7) |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 2632 (65.0) | 1419 (35.0)* | 1181 (83.2) | 238 (16.8)* |
| Male | 1989 (56.9) | 1508 (43.1) | 1179 (78.2) | 329 (21.8) |
| Age (y) | ||||
| 18–35 | 1703 (88.2) | 227 (11.8)* | 181 (79.7) | 46 (20.3) |
| 35–50 | 1343 (72.2) | 516 (27.8) | 413 (80.0) | 103 (20.0) |
| 51–65 | 969 (51.0) | 931 (49.0) | 745 (80.0) | 186 (20.0) |
| 65+ | 607 (32.6) | 1253 (67.4) | 1021 (81.5) | 232 (18.5) |
| Insurance type | ||||
| Private | 1746 (65.3) | 927 (34.7)* | 764 (82.4) | 163 (17.6) |
| Medicaid | 1331 (72.7) | 500 (27.3) | 394 (78.8) | 106 (21.2) |
| Medicare | 605 (33.6) | 1197 (66.4) | 968 (80.9) | 229 (19.1) |
| Uninsured* | 940 (75.6) | 303 (24.4) | 234 (77.2) | 69 (22.8) |
| Heart disease | 1418 (39.8) | 2148 (60.2)* | 1686 (78.5) | 462 (21.5)* |
| Diabetes | 780 (38.4) | 1251 (61.6)* | 964 (77.1) | 287 (22.9)* |
| Obesity | 965 (38.2) | 1563 (61.8)* | 1224 (78.3) | 339 (21.7)* |
| Kidney disease | 160 (17.3) | 766 (82.7)* | 589 (76.9) | 177 (23.1)* |
| COPD | 85 (21.1) | 318 (78.9)* | 237 (74.5) | 81 (25.5)* |
| Liver disease | 68 (23.4) | 222 (76.6)* | 171 (77.0) | 51 (23.0) |
| Count of comorbidities † (mean, SD) | 1.3 (1.6) | 3.4 (2.0)* | 3.3 (2.0) | 4.0 (2.0)* |
| SpO2 (<92) | 38 (51.4) | 36 (48.7)* | 29 (80.6) | 7 (19.4) |
| RR (>20) | 904 (30.8) | 2032 (69.2)* | 1587 (78.1) | 445 (21.9)* |
| Percentage under poverty level (median, IQR) | 17.2 (8.9–28.7) | 15.2 (7.7–24.9)* | 14.3 (6.9–23.9) | 17.7 (10.3–29.4)* |
*
P-values <0.05 from comparing admitted versus ED only and admit ICU versus admit non-ICU, respectively.
†
Uninsured includes self-pay and HRSA.
COPD indicates chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; ED, emergency department; ICU, intensive care unit; IQR, interquartile range; RR, respiratory rate; SpO2, peripheral oxygen saturation.