Patient characteristics and patient outcome in 142 units providing SDPs compared with 97 units not providing SDPs
| Statistic | 142 Units providing SDPs | 97 Units not providing SDPs | p Value (Mann–Whitney) |
| Unit variation | Unit variation | ||
| Median (IQR) | Median (IQR | ||
| Number of audit patients | 49 (29–59) | 45 (30–56) | 0.48 |
| Mean age, years | 73 (71–74) | 73 (71–75) | 0.23 |
| Median FEV1, % predicted | 39 (35–43) | 37 (34–43) | 0.19 |
| Current smokers, % | 33 (28–42) | 32 (26–39) | 0.30 |
| Median LOS in hospital, days* | 5 (4–6) | 6 (5–7) | 0.003 |
| Hospital LOS ≥7 days, % | 41 (31–48) | 44 (37–53) | 0.008 |
| Mortality (inpatient), % | 5.7 (3.0–8.5) | 8.8 (6.3–12.1) | <0.001 |
| Mortality (90 days of admission), %* | 12.5 (6.7–17.0) | 16.3 (11.9–20.7) | <0.001 |
| Readmission (90 days of admission), %* | 35 (25–42) | 32 (23–39) | 0.22 |
| Median pH on admission | 7.41 (7.39–7.42) | 7.41 (7.39–7.42) | 0.73 |
| pH on admission <7.35, % | 19 (13–25) | 21 (16–26) | 0.04 |
| pO2 on admission | 8.9 (8.5–9.5) | 9.0 (8.5–9.5) | 0.38 |
| pO2 on admission ≤8.0 kPa, % | 35 (27–40) | 35 (27–42) | 0.70 |
| Chest radiograph with changes | 15 (8–23) | 14 (9–22) | 0.78 |
| consistent with pneumonia, % | |||
| Lives alone in house/flat, % | 33 (28–41) | 37 (32–42) | 0.03 |
| One or more significant medical conditions, %† | 79 (69–86) | 79 (70–87) | 0.75 |
| Three or more significant medical conditions, %† | 18 (11–27) | 19 (11–26) | 0.64 |
| Received NIV during hospital stay, % | 8 (4–14) | 13 (7–17) | 0.001 |
↵* Denotes data relating to British Thoracic Society audit criteria.
↵† Comorbidities included ischaemic heart disease, left ventricular failure, cor pulmonale, lung cancer or other malignant diseases, cardiac arrhythmia—for example atrial fibrillation, locomotor problems, stroke, diabetes, visual impairment, neurological conditions, alcohol-related conditions, psychiatric conditions, thromboembolic disease—for example pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis, gastrointestinal conditions or endocrine disorders.
FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; LOS, length of stay; NIV, non-invasive ventilation; pO2, partial pressure of oxygen; SDP, supported discharge programme.