Background: Tiered services, differentiated by the financial capacity of patients and related payment arrangements with hospitals, are the norm in Philippine facilities. This study considered how these, together with selected demographic and clinical factors, were associated with surgical care utilization, provision, and outcomes for patients with appendicitis in a public university hospital.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study, utilizing data obtained from an electronic patient registry. Patients who underwent emergent appendectomies from January 2017 to December 2018 were included. Data were analyzed using multivariate and logistic regression, with the following dependent variables: time from symptom onset to emergency department consultation (ED Lag), time from consult to surgery (OR Lag), selection for laparoscopic appendectomy (LA), the occurrence of complicated appendicitis (CA), and length of stay (LOS). Morbidities and mortalities were tallied.

Results: There were 1,501 patients included in the study. Young adult males comprised the majority and mostly had non-private accommodations. Non-CA was the impression in more than 80% of cases. Extremes of age were associated with longer ED and OR Lags, greater likelihood of CA, and longer LOS. Patients initially assessed as having CA had shorter OR Lags, were less likely to undergo LA, and had longer LOS. Private patients were more likely to have undergone LA, lower CA odds, and slightly longer LOS.

Conclusions: Variations in surgical care utilization, provision, and outcomes for patients with appendicitis were independently associated with socioeconomic and clinical status differences.