Characteristics of and follow-up recommendations for discharged patients, stratified by hospital: All statistical analyses were not significant.
| CHARACTERISTICS AND RECOMMENDATIONS | HEJ (N = 234), N (%) | HDL (N =134), N (%) | CHUL (N = 56), N (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | |||
| • ≥ 65 y | 57 (24.4) | 38 (28.3) | 13 (23.2) |
| • ≥ 45 y | 167 (71.3) | 100 (74.6) | 38 (67.8) |
| Past medical history | |||
| • CAD | 16 (6.8) | 19 (14.1) | 6 (10.7) |
| • COPD | 27 (11.5) | 7 (5.2) | 1 (1.8) |
| • Diabetes | 10 (10.6) | 9 (6.7) | 2 (3.6) |
| No. of rib fractures on ED radiographs* | |||
| • 1 | 64 (27.6) | 28 (21.1) | 17 (30.3) |
| • 2 | 46 (19.8) | 23 (17.2) | 11 (19.6) |
| • 3 | 21 (9.1) | 12 (9.0) | 5 (8.9) |
| • ≤ 4 | 14 (6.0) | 7 (5.3) | 0 |
| • Clinical diagnosis (ie, no rib fractures on x-ray scans) | 87 (37.5) | 63 (47.4) | 23 (41.1) |
| Injury mechanism* | |||
| • Fall from the patient’s own height | 103 (44.9) | 52 (41.9) | 27 (50.0) |
| • Fall from greater than the patient’s own height | 48 (21.0) | 28 (22.6) | 8 (14.8) |
| • MVC | 26 (11.3) | 13 (10.5) | 6 (11.1) |
| • Pedestrian and MVC | 2 (0.9) | 1 (0.8) | 0 |
| • Direct blunt injury | 37 (16.2) | 25 (20.1) | 9 (16.7) |
| • Other | 13 (5.7) | 5 (4.0) | 4 (7.4) |
| Follow-up recommendations† | |||
| • Come back if there are any red flag symptoms | 79 (33.6) | 47 (33.1) | 13 (20.3) |
| • Go see family doctor | 31 (13.2) | 22 (15.5) | 12 (18.8) |
| • Surgical consultation | 3 (1.8) | ||
| • No recommendation | 123 (52.3) | 78 (54.7) | 35 (54.7) |
CAD—coronary artery disease, CHUL—Centre Hospitalier de l’Université Laval, COPD—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ED—emergency department, HDL—Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis, HEJ—Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus, MVC—motor vehicle collision.
↵* Missing data were noted on chart review for injury mechanism and number of rib fractures on ED radiographs.
↵† Patients might have had more than 1 recommendation noted during review.