The relationship between social deprivation and a weekend emergency medical admission

Abstract

Background: Deprivation increases admission rates; the specific effect of deprivation with regard to weekend admissions is unknown. Methods: We calculated annual weekend admission rates for each small area population unit and related these to quintiles of Deprivation Index from 2002-2014. Univariate and multivariable risk estimates were calculated using truncated Poisson regression. Results: There were 30,794 weekend admissions in 16,665 patients. The admission rate was substantially higher for more deprived areas, 12.7 per 1000 (95%CI 9.4, 14.7) vs 4.6 per 1000 (95%CI 3.3, 5.8). More deprived patients admitted at the weekend had a significantly lower 30-day in-hospital mortality (10.3% vs 14.5%, p<0.001). Conclusion: Deprivation is a powerful determinant of weekend admissions, however these comprise a group of patients with better outcomes.