Characteristics of the study sample
| Variable | Group; no. (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre–model implementation January 2005–March 2008 n = 8 994 | Post–model implementation April 2008–December 2009 n = 5 719 | Total, n = 14 713 | |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 4 175 (46.4) | 2 642 (46.2) | 6 817 (46.3) |
| Female | 4 819 (53.6) | 3 077 (53.8) | 7 896 (53.7) |
| Age, yr | |||
| 20–34 | 1 876 (20.9) | 1 129 (19.7) | 3 005 (20.4) |
| 35–49 | 2 140 (23.8) | 1 303 (22.8) | 3 443 (23.4) |
| 50–64 | 2 109 (23.4) | 1 338 (23.4) | 3 447 (23.4) |
| 65–79 | 1 841 (20.5) | 1 195 (20.9) | 3 036 (20.6) |
| ≥ 80 | 1 028 (11.4) | 754 (13.2) | 1 782 (12.1) |
| Operative status* | |||
| Nonsurgical | 3 478 (38.7) | 2 142 (37.5) | 5 620 (38.2) |
| Surgical | 5 516 (61.3) | 3 577 (62.5) | 9 093 (61.8) |
| Diagnostic category | |||
| Appendicitis | 1 433 (15.9) | 946 (16.5) | 2 379 (16.2) |
| Cholecystitis | 1 561 (17.4) | 1 072 (18.7) | 2 633 (17.9) |
| Intestinal obstruction | 1 075 (12.0) | 703 (12.3) | 1 778 (12.1) |
| Pancreatitis | 586 (6.5) | 331 (5.8) | 917 (6.2) |
| Diverticulitis | 555 (6.2) | 375 (6.6) | 930 (6.3) |
| Other | 3 784 (42.1) | 2 292 (40.1) | 6 076 (41.3) |
| Origin | |||
| WRHA | 7 915 (88.0) | 4 913 (85.9) | 12 828 (87.2) |
| Non-WRHA | 1 079 (12.0) | 806 (14.1) | 1 885 (12.8) |
WRHA = Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
↵* In this table, patients who had surgery at any time are counted as operative.