Trends in acute admissions: a study of one English district general hospital

Background The aim of the study was to determine whether significant daily and hourly variations in acute admissions to hospital were evident overtime , and to determine whether significant changes in patient and management ch aracteristics had occurred over time. Methods Time-trend and cross-section analysis of admissions was carried out , for samples between 1986 and 1995, using manual records from the transit ward, Doncaster Royal Infirmary. Results Mean daily admissions at weekends were significantly lower than tho se occurring during the working week. During the day, the admission rate pe aked at around noon and gradually declined thereafter. Patients arriving du ring the night tended to be younger and were more likely to be male. Age wa s a significant predictor of subsequent patient management following arriva l. Overall, the number and mean age of arriving patients had increased by t he end of the investigation period, although the proportion of patients bei ng sent home from the transit ward did not vary over time.