Characteristics of patients cared for by primary care physicians in Alberta 2008–2010
| Characteristic | No. of patients in a primary care network* (%)† n = 1 502 916 | No. of patients in conventional primary care (%)† n = 1 109 940 | Standardized difference‡ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean ± SD | 46.1 ± 18.4 | 44.0 ± 19.5 | −0.11 |
| Male | 684 482 (45.4) | 548 047 (49.4) | 0.08 |
| Rural residence | 218 064 (14.51) | 174 291 (15.70) | 0.03 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index score, mean ± SD | 0.34 ± 1.01 | 0.32 ± 1.02 | −0.02 |
| Median number of physician visits in previous year (IQR) | 3 (1–6) | 2 (1–6) | −0.08 |
| Patient Medical Home indicator conditions | |||
| Diabetes | 85 857 (5.71) | 57 409 (5.17) | −0.02 |
| Heart failure | 14 134 (0.94) | 10 148 (0.91) | 0.00 |
| Hypertension | 219 082 (14.58) | 140 726 (12.68) | −0.06 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 87 324 (5.81) | 62 008 (5.60) | −0.01 |
| Asthma | 47 554 (3.16) | 32 035 (2.89) | −0.02 |
| Coronary artery disease (previous myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, percutaneous intervention, or chronic angina) | 23 029 (1.53) | 15874 (1.43) | −0.02 |
| Other chronic conditions | |||
| Anemia | 36 314 (2.42) | 24 056 (2.17) | −0.02 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 15 957 (1.06) | 10 746 (0.97) | −0.01 |
| Renal disease | 9803 (0.65) | 7458 (0.67) | 0.00 |
| Cancer | 16 611 (1.11) | 11 797 (1.06) | 0.00 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 9004 (0.60) | 5681 (0.51) | −0.01 |
| Dementia | 10 015 (0.67) | 6664 (0.60) | −0.01 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 28 644 (1.91) | 15 752 (1.42) | −0.04 |
| Cardiogenic shock | 17 621 (1.17) | 8217 (0.74) | −0.04 |
| Stroke | 12 850 (0.86) | 8547 (0.77) | −0.01 |
| Pneumonia | 24 818 (1.65) | 18 674 (1.68) | 0.00 |
| Protein calorie malnutrition | 507 (0.03) | 281 (0.03) | 0.00 |
| Hemiparesis or paralysis | 3752 (0.25) | 2866 (0.26) | 0.00 |
| Solid tumour | 4527 (0.30) | 4082 (0.37) | 0.01 |
| Trauma | 286 012 (19.03) | 221 549 (19.96) | 0.02 |
| Psychiatric disorder | 224 109 (14.91) | 141 004 (12.70) | −0.06 |
| Severe liver disease | 1210 (0.08) | 1032 (0.09) | 0.00 |
| Fluid imbalance | 21 603 (1.44) | 15 920 (1.43) | 0.00 |
| Skin ulcer | 2658 (0.18) | 1669 (0.15) | 0.01 |
| Gastrointestinal bleed | 8727 (0.58) | 5927 (0.53) | −0.01 |
| Nephritis | 6458 (0.43) | 5141 (0.46) | 0.01 |
| Nonmetastatic cancer | 24 096 (1.60) | 15 855 (1.43) | −0.01 |
| Drug abuse | 24 292 (1.62) | 22 990 (2.07) | 0.03 |
| Depression | 174 485 (11.61) | 107 348 (9.67) | −0.06 |
| Arthritis | 15 172 (1.01) | 9315 (0.84) | −0.02 |
| HIV | 712 (0.05) | 576 (0.05) | 0.00 |
| Pampalon Material Deprivation Index quintiles,§ % | 0.18 | ||
| 1 | 16.87 | 21.26 | |
| 2 | 16.33 | 20.66 | |
| 3 | 19.38 | 19.07 | |
| 4 | 20.28 | 17.65 | |
| 5 (most deprived) | 22.56 | 17.93 | |
| Pampalon Social Deprivation Index quintiles,¶ % | 0.07 | ||
| 1 | 12.92 | 16.23 | |
| 2 | 15.88 | 17.32 | |
| 3 | 19.26 | 19.77 | |
| 4 | 23.56 | 23.05 | |
| 5 (most deprived) | 23.77 | 20.2 | |
Note: HIV = human immunodeficiency virus, IQR = interquartile range, SD = standard deviation.
↵* Patients seen by a physician affiliated with a primary care network.
↵† Unless otherwise specified.
↵‡ Standardized differences greater than 0.1 are considered clinically meaningful.
↵§ Pampalon Material Deprivation Index — reflects the deprivation of goods and conveniences. Includes the following indicators: average household income, unemployment rate and high school education rate.18
↵¶ Pampalon Social Deprivation Index — reflects the deprivation of relationships among individuals in the family, the workplace and the community. Includes the following indicators: proportion of the population separated, divorced or widowed; proportion of the population that lives alone; and proportion of the population that has moved in the past 5 years.18