Characteristics of Family Practices and Patients Tested With Spirometry
| Characteristic | Intervention | Control | PValuea |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEV1 = forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FVC = forced vital capacity. | |||
| a From Student t test for independent samples. | |||
| b One baseline questionnaire was not returned in the usual practice group (after 2 reminders). | |||
| c From Pearson χ2 test. | |||
| d From prebronchodilator spirometry test. | |||
| e Predicted values from the European Community for Steel and Coal (ECSC), 1993. | |||
| Practices | |||
| Number of practices | 9 | 10b | |
| Practice type, n (%) | |||
| Solo | 2 (22) | 2 (22) | |
| Duo | 1 (11) | 3 (33) | |
| Group | 5 (56) | 2 (22) | |
| Multidisciplinary health care center | 1 (11) | 2 (22) | |
| Physicians per practice, mean (SD), n | 3.2 (1.6) | 2.3 (1.7) | .582 |
| Practice size, patients, mean (SD), n | 6,521 (3,428) | 4,754 (3,012) | .263 |
| Spirometry test operators per practice, mean (SD), n | 2.0 (0.9) | 2.3 (0.9) | .461 |
| Spirometry experience, mean (SD), y | 5.6 (3.0) | 5.0 (3.0) | .673 |
| Spirometry tests per month, mean (SD), n | 13.7 (15.0) | 16.6 (10.6) | .644 |
| Tests | |||
| Spirometry tests, n | 490 | 645 | |
| Unique patients, n | 457 | 615 | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 53.3 (16.1) | 53.9 (17.9) | .550 |
| Male, n (%) | 245 (50) | 303 (47) | .421c |
| FEV1, mean (SD), Ld | 2.56 (0.97) | 2.55 (0.98) | .829 |
| FEV1, as % of predicted value, mean (SD)e | 84.5 (23.4) | 84.0 (20.8) | .719 |