Table 1 Characteristics of presentations
|  | Total (n = 176,729) | Non-admitted (n = 132,270) | Admitted (n = 44,459) |
|---|---|---|---|
Age, mean (SD) | 51.8 (19.5) | 48.4 (18.2) | 61.8 (19.9) |
Age 65 + , n (%) | 50,269 (28.4) | 28,141 (21.2) | 22,128 (49.7) |
Sex, n (%)a | |||
 Female | 91,906 (52) | 66,868 (50.6) | 25,038 (56.3) |
 Male | 84,818 (48) | 65,398 (49.4) | 19,420 (43.7) |
English as preferred language, n (%) | 158,489 (89.7) | 119,836 (90.6) | 38,653 (86.9) |
Referral source, n (%)b | |||
 Self-referral | 163,597 (92.6) | 124,008 (93.8) | 39,589 (89.1) |
 General practitioner | 5,656 (3.2) | 3,793 (2.9) | 1,863 (4.2) |
 Aged care facility | 1,100 (0.6) | 438 (0.3) | 662 (1.5) |
 Specialist services | 326 (0.2) | 153 (0.1) | 173 (0.4) |
 Other | 6,016 (3.4) | 3,853 (2.9) | 2,163 (4.8) |
Arrival at ED by ambulance, n (%)c | 55,788 (31.6) | 28,744 (21.7) | 27,044 (61) |
Triage category (ATS), n (%)d | |||
 1 (Resuscitation) | 70 (0.04) | 23 (0.02) | 47 (0.1) |
 2 (Emergency) | 5,631 (3.2) | 3,329 (2.5) | 2,302 (3.2) |
 3 (Urgent) | 58,305 (33) | 38,279 (28.9) | 20,026 (33) |
 4 (Semi-urgent) | 101,279 (57.3) | 80,067 (60.5) | 21,212 (57.3) |
 5 (Non-urgent) | 11,417 (6.4) | 10,547 (8) | 870 (6.4) |
Type of low back pain, n (%) | |||
 Non-specific | 163,543 (92.5) | 121,838 (92.1) | 41,705 (93.8) |
 Radicular | 13,186 (7.5) | 10,432 (7.9) | 2,754 (6.2) |
Hospital location | |||
 Metropolitan Sydney Area | 91,024 (53.2) | 64,467 (48.7) | 29,557 (66.5) |
 Rural or Regional NSW | 82,705 (46.8) | 67,803 (51.3) | 14,902 (33.5) |