BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic inequalities in chronic disease management and outcomes are well-established. Their association with critical illness management and outcomes is less clear. This study aimed to investigate the association between socioeconomic status and outcomes following emergency admission for critical illness. METHODS: Three Scotland-wide health databases were linked: the Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group database (critical care units)
the Scottish Morbidity Record 01 (hospital admissions) and death certificates. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on adults (⩾16 years) admitted as an emergency to critical care units between 25th October 2010 and 25th October 2021 inclusive. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the association between area-based socioeconomic status (Scottish Index of Mortality (SIMD) decile) and all-cause mortality, adjusting for potential confounders: age, sex, comorbidities, illness severity, and diagnostic group. Secondary outcomes included unit and hospital lengths of stay, and emergency hospital readmissions. RESULTS: Overall, 50,914 patients were included in the cohort. Those in the least deprived decile were less likely to die ( DISCUSSION: People living in the most deprived communities have worse outcomes following emergency admission to critical care
particularly in the longer term and reinforcing the need to address socioeconomic inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes.