Skip to main content

Table 3 Patients non-transported with 72 h ED attendance and patients initially assessed to hospital at first EMS contact

From: Patient characteristics, triage utilisation, level of care, and outcomes in an unselected adult patient population seen by the emergency medical services: a prospective observational study

 

ED attendance within 72 h

Initially assessed to hospital

P

n = 126

n = 5340

Age – median year (25th,75th percentile)

64 (36,82)

68 (44,83)

0.247

Sex – n (%)

  

0.787

 Female

67 (53.2)

2763 (51.7)

 

Mode of transport – n (%)

  

< 0.001

 Ambulance

55 (44.4)

4979 (93.2)

 

 By own transportation

57 (45.2)

41 (0.8)

 

 Patient transport

12 (9.5)

141 (2.6)

 

 Seated transport

2(1.6)

159 (3.0)

 

 Police

0 (0.0)

20 (0.4)

 

Dispatcher priority - n (%) (66,26)a

  

< 0.001

 Priority 1

18 (30.0)

2659 (50.0)

 

 Priority 2

37 (61.7)

2444 (46.0)

 

 Priority 3

5 (8.3)

211 (4.0)

 

Medical history – n (%)b

 Diseases of the circulatory system I00-I99

110 (27.3)

5250 (29.3)

0.376

 Mental and behavioural disorders F00-F99

92 (22.8)

3024 (16.9)

0.002

 Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue M00-M99

37 (9.2)

1212 (6.8)

0.067

 Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases E00-E89

28 (6.9)

1583 (8.8)

0.216

 Diseases of the digestive system K00-K95

25 (6.2)

1055 (5.9)

0.761

 No medical history

19 (15.1)

658 (12.3)

0.339

Prehospital field assessent according to RETTS-Ac – n (%)d

1st assessment / 2nd assessment

  

 Unspecific condition, malaise

20 (20.2) / 12 (20.1)

349 (6.7)

< 0.001

 Respiratory distress/dyspnoa/breathing difficulties

13 (14.9) / 8 (13.4)

454 (8.8)

0.055

 Abdominal/flank pain

9 (10.3) / 8 (13.4)

535 (10.3)

1.000

 Chest thoracic pain

5 (5.7) / 1 (1.7)

512 (9.9)

0.273

 Nausea/vomiting

4 (3.2) / 0 (0.0)

43 (0.8)

0.022

 Missing field assessment

39 (31.0) / 2 (3.3)

161 (3.0)

< 0.001

Prehospital triage level according to RETTS-A – n (%) (39 / 2, 172)e

1st triage / 2nd triage

 

< 0.001

 Red

2 (2.3) / 6 (10.0)

597 (11.6)

 

 Orange

3 (3.4) / 15 (25.0)

1854 (35.9)

 

 Yellow

33 (37.9) / 31 (51.7)

2254 (43.6)

 

 Green

49 (56.3) / 6 (10.0)

463 (9.0)

 

Management ED – n (%) (0, 14)f

 Admitted to in-patient care

58 (46.0)

2631 (49.4)

0.472

 Extended examination/interventiong

22 (17.5)

774 (14.5)

0.371

 Lab, drug administration, prescription

32 (25.4)

1412 (26.5)

0.839

 Clinical examination/observation only

7 (5.6)

275 (5.2)

0.837

 Patient managed by ED nurse, referral to primary care

3 (2.4)

54 (1.0)

0.144

 Patient leaves without being seen or against medical advice

4 (3.2)

180 (3.4)

1.000

Days of in-patient care – n

 Mean (SD)

8.7 (8.8)

8.1 (9.5)

0.641

 Median (25th,75th percentile)

5.5 (2.8,12)

5 (2,11)

0.633

Final hospital assessment, ICD-10h – n (%) (11, 344)f

 Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings R00-R99

24 (20.9)

971 (19.4)

0.721

 Injury, poisoning and certain other consequnces of external causes S00-S99, T00-T98

15 (13.0)

928 (18.6)

0.145

 Mental and behavioural disorders F00-F99

14 (12.2)

423 (8.5)

0.174

 Diseases of the circulatory system I00-I99

12 (10.4)

635 (12.7)

0.570

 Disesases of the respiratory system J00-J99

7 (6.1)

418 (8.4)

0.494

Time-critical diagnosis (11,344)f

12 (10.4)

551 (11.0)

1.000

Deranged clinical signs/occurrence of complications within 48 hi

7 (5.6)

537 (10.1)

0.099

All-cause mortality - n (%)

 ≤ 7 days

2 (1.8)

111 (2.1)

0.702

 ≤ 30 days

5 (4.0)

243 (4.6)

0.756

 ≤ 365 days

20 (15.9)

804 (15.1)

0.800

  1. aSecondary dispatch priority for ED attendance within 72 h, n = 66 missing for patients transported by other means and n = 26 assignments missing dispatch priority
  2. bThe five most common medical history ICD-10 chapters, a patient can have more than one diagnosis
  3. cThe five most common EMS field assessments
  4. dP values calculated on first assessment of ED attendance within 72 h group and initially assessed to hospital
  5. eMissing triage level for first assessment, second assement and patients initially assessed to hospital
  6. fMissing in each group respectively
  7. gX-ray, computed tomography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance, lumbar puncture, suturing, proctoscopy
  8. hThe five most common final hospital ICD-10 chapters
  9. iOccurrence of life-threatening events in ambulance, ED or ward within 48 h