Characteristics of the excluded sample (i.e., low users) and the analysis cohort during the two-year baseline and one-year follow-up periods
| Characteristic | Patients with fewer than 3 visits to a physician during baseline, % n = 55 614 | Analysis cohort | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total, % n = 311 701 | No primary physician, % n= 11 959 | Family physician, % n = 271 990 | Specialist, % n = 27 752 | ||
| Age, yr | |||||
| 18–34 | 40.9 | 24.8 | 46.3 | 22.3 | 34.1 |
| 35–64 | 54.2 | 56.8 | 47.5 | 58.0 | 51.8 |
| 65–74 | 3.1 | 11.1 | 3.9 | 11.9 | 8.7 |
| ≥ 75 | 1.8 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 7.8 | 5.5 |
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 63.8 | 41.8 | 54.7 | 40.4 | 46.2 |
| Female | 36.2 | 58.2 | 45.3 | 59.6 | 53.8 |
| Material deprivation percentile | |||||
| 1–50 | 53.1 | 55.0 | 57.0 | 54.7 | 56.4 |
| 51–100 | 44.9 | 43.0 | 41.1 | 43.3 | 41.5 |
| Missing | 2.0 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Area of residence | |||||
| Urban | 44.7 | 38.8 | 31.1 | 40.3 | 31.1 |
| Metropolitan | 55.3 | 61.2 | 68.9 | 59.7 | 68.9 |
| Health status, comorbidity score percentile | |||||
| Low, 0–60 | 76.0 | 56.5 | 59.9 | 55.4 | 63.8 |
| Medium, 61–80 | 21.5 | 24.4 | 30.9 | 23.9 | 24.8 |
| High, 81–100 | 2.6 | 19.1 | 9.2 | 20.7 | 11.4 |
| Visits to physicians during baseline, no. | |||||
| 0–2 | 100.0 | — | — | — | — |
| 3–8 | — | 48.0 | 91.7 | 43.1 | 64.9 |
| 9–24 | — | 43.0 | 7.5 | 46.9 | 30.6 |
| ≥ 25 | — | 9.0 | 0.8 | 10.1 | 4.6 |
| Time spent in hospital during baseline, d | |||||
| 0 | 97.4 | 85.9 | 93.3 | 86.3 | 79.0 |
| 1–3 | 1.1 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 4.2 | 7.6 |
| ≥ 4 | 1.5 | 9.6 | 4.3 | 9.5 | 13.4 |
| Visits to emergency department during baseline, no. | |||||
| 0 | 70.1 | 61.7 | 63.6 | 61.7 | 60.6 |
| 1 | 20.0 | 20.1 | 20.5 | 20.1 | 20.6 |
| 2 | 5.8 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 9.1 |
| ≥ 3 | 4.1 | 9.5 | 7.3 | 9.6 | 9.8 |
| Affiliation with a primary physician | |||||
| Low user | 100.0 | — | — | — | — |
| None | — | 5.5 | 100.0 | — | — |
| Family physician | — | 84.1 | — | 100.0 | — |
| Specialist | — | 10.3 | — | — | 100.0 |
| Usual provider continuity index with a primary physician* | |||||
| Low (< 0.40) | — | 32.5 | — | 34.7 | 15.2 |
| Medium (0.40–0.79) | — | 51.1 | — | 49.5 | 64.1 |
| High (0.80–1.0) | — | 16.4 | — | 15.8 | 20.7 |
| Complete annual examinations, no. | |||||
| 0 | — | 65.8 | — | 59.3 | — |
| 1 | — | 25.0 | — | 29.8 | — |
| ≥ 2 | — | 9.2 | — | 11.0 | — |
| Visits to emergency department during follow-up, no. | |||||
| 0 | 82.5 | 76.2 | 78.0 | 75.9 | 77.4 |
| 1 | 12.1 | 15.0 | 14.3 | 15.1 | 14.4 |
| 2 | 3.4 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.6 |
| ≥ 3 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.6 |
↵* Among participants with a primary physician (n = 299 742).