Table 1

Variables to be extracted from emergency department systems

Patient static recordVisit data
Unique patient identifier (randomly generated and anonymised);
year and month of birth;
gender;
small area geo-code (mapped from address).		ED visit date and time;
GMS status (indicator of medical card status);
mode of arrival;
source of referral (self-referral, referral from GP or cooperative GP, other);
triage score;
diagnosis;
discharge outcome (home, admission, referral, transfer).

  • ED, emergency department; GMS, general medical services; GP, general practitioner.