Admission into Hospital - ED versus Routine: In 1996,¹ approximately half of hospitalizations were routine--patients entered the hospital directly. The second most common source of admission was through the emergency department (ED), comprising about 40 percent of admissions. In 2006, the opposite is the case, with about half of all admissions through the ED, and 40 percent routine admissions. The remaining admissions were transfers from another hospital or health care facility, or of unknown origin. The percentage of people admitted to the hospital through the ED increased for all age groups. While older individuals were more likely to be admitted into the hospital through the ED, increases (between 1996 and 2006) were largest for younger patients aged 0-14 and 15-44.

The top 10 reasons for hospitalization among patients admitted through the ED revealed serious conditions. Pneumonia is the most frequent reason. Five of the top 10 conditions related to the circulatory system: heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, chest pain, cardiac arrhythmia, and angina. The other top reasons include cellulitis, septicemia, stroke, and appendectomy.

Hawaii is more likely to admit patients via the ED than comparison U.S. hospitals (U.S.: 43%, 2006).

1. The 'Source of Admission' was not collected until 1996 by the Hawaii Health Information Corporation, the data source for Hawai'i's inpatient data.