In-hospital management of those seen by rheumatology service compared to those not seen by rheumatology service and those with gout as the primary versus secondary diagnosis. Values are n (%) unless otherwise specified.
| Variables | Total Admissions, n = 235 | Seen by Rheumatology, n = 39 | Not Seen by Rheumatology, n = 196 | p | Primary Diagnosis, n = 95 | Secondary Diagnosis, n = 140 | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspiration undertaken | 72 (30.6) | 22 (56.4) | 50 (25.5) | < 0.001 | 52 (54.7) | 20 (14.3) | < 0.001 |
| Serum urate checked | 123 (52.3) | 32 (82.1) | 91 (46.4) | < 0.001 | 58 (61.1) | 65 (46.4) | 0.03 |
| Urate-lowering therapy altered, change considered or recommended to GP on discharge | 94 (40) | 32 (82.1) | 62 (31.6) | < 0.001 | 56 (58.9) | 38 (27.1) | < 0.001 |
| In-hospital, days, mean (SD) | 6.5 (10.7) | 5.3 (5.3) | 6.7 (11.5) | 0.44 | 3.4 (3.6) | 8.6 (13.2) | < 0.001 |
| Seen by rheumatology service | 39 (16.6) | N/A | N/A | 24 (25.3) | 15 (10.7) | 0.003 |
GP: general practitioner; N/A: not assessed.