Characteristics of Study Cohort
| Characteristic | Income Quintilea | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 (Lowest) (n = 7,915) | Q2 (n = 7,362) | Q3 (n = 6,685) | Q4 (n = 6,679) | Q5 (Highest) (n = 6,100) | |
| Hospitalized, % | 3.6 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Patient demographics | |||||
| Sex, male, % | 39.1 | 41.5 | 42.4 | 44.4 | 44.5 |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 46.6 (14.6) | 46.4 (14.5) | 47.2 (14.5) | 47.0 (14.3) | 46.7 (14.4) |
| Comorbidity level (major ADGs)b | |||||
| Low (0–1), % | 57.3 | 67.5 | 69.8 | 71.7 | 74.3 |
| Medium (2–3), % | 35.2 | 28.0 | 26.7 | 25.0 | 23.3 |
| High (≥4), % | 7.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.4 |
| Ambulatory care usec | |||||
| Physician visits, mean No. (SD) | 29.1 (23.1) | 22.6 (18.6) | 22.1 (18.3) | 20.8 (17.1) | 20.0 (16.5) |
| Usual physician index, mean (SD)d | 0.59 (0.23) | 0.63 (0.23) | 0.64 (0.22) | 0.64 (0.22) | 0.62 (0.22) |
| Received influenza vaccine, % | 33.9 | 31.3 | 32.4 | 32.6 | 32.6 |
| Referred to specialist, % | 7.3 | 6.6 | 7.1 | 5.9 | 7.1 |
| Usual physician characteristicse | |||||
| Type, family physician, % | 91.6 | 92.3 | 91.7 | 91.8 | 90.7 |
| Payment, fee for service, % | 96.6 | 97.1 | 97.6 | 97.8 | 97.7 |
| Sex, male, % | 80.9 | 74.3 | 73.7 | 72.3 | 70.3 |
| Time practicing in Manitoba | |||||
| 1–9 y | 27.9 | 24.4 | 21.5 | 21.8 | 21.9 |
| 10–17 y | 27.9 | 24.5 | 26.3 | 24.8 | 22.7 |
| ≥18 y | 44.2 | 51.1 | 52.2 | 53.5 | 55.4 |
| Training, international, % | 41.0 | 39.0 | 38.0 | 36.5 | 35.2 |
| Daily patient load, mean No. (SD) | 34.8 (16.0) | 33.9 (14.3) | 33.7 (14.0) | 33.0 (13.3) | 32.0 (12.7) |
ADG = aggregated diagnosis group.
Note: Data only available starting in 1991.
↵a All differences between groups were significant at P <.05 on analysis of variance or χ2 analysis.
↵b Of 8 major ADGs during 3 years: ADG3, ADG4, ADG9, ADG11, ADG16, ADG22, ADG25, or ADG32.
↵c For the 3-year period before index hospitalization or median time to that event; 1-year period for influenza vaccine.
↵d Possible range: 0 to 1.0. Higher values indicate greater continuity of care.
↵e At the patient level; for example, 80.9% of patients in Q1 had a male usual physician.