An Investigation into Demographic Disparities in Emergency Department Disposition Decisions
研究急诊科处置决策中是否存在基于性别、种族和民族的差异，并探讨急诊拥挤程度是否加剧这些差异。发现男性、白人和非西班牙裔患者更易被收治入院，而女性、非裔和西班牙裔患者则相反；拥挤可能加剧性别差异。
We investigate the presence of health disparities in emergency department (ED) disposition decisions and if crowding levels might have an exacerbating role. Using data from a large, academic ED, we find statistically significant associations between ED disposition decisions and patient sex, race, as well as ethnicity, with male, Caucasian, and non-Hispanic patients being more likely to be admitted to the hospital compared with, respectively, female, African-American, and Hispanic patients. In line with earlier findings in other studies, we find that longer waiting times, suggesting higher levels of ED crowding, is associated with higher rates of admission. Moreover, longer ED wait times modified sex differences, suggesting that the disposition disparity in female patients might be exacerbated when the ED is more crowded.