Table 1.
Sample Characteristics: Patient Demographics (N = 330)*
| Number | Percentage/SD (Range) | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Male | 138 | 42% |
| Female | 194 | 58% |
| Mean age, y | 53 | SD 16 (17 to 87) |
| <25 | 11 | 3% |
| 25 to 39 | 58 | 18% |
| 40 to 65 | 172 | 52% |
| >65 | 89 | 27% |
| Education | ||
| Primary school/lower-level high school | 150 | 46% |
| Middle-level high school | 103 | 31% |
| Advanced vocational/ university | 69 | 21% |
| Primary language | ||
| Dutch | 293 | 89% |
| Other | 36 | 11% |
| Health insurance† | ||
| Sickness fund | 224 | 68% |
| Private health insurance | 105 | 32% |
| Mean “preference for information” | 9.6 | SD 1.1 (3 to 10) |
| Prefer as many details as possible | 257 | 78% |
| Do not prefer as many details as possible | 68 | 21% |
| Preference participation in decision making‡ | 11.2 | SD 2.8 (4 to 20) |
| Mean self-efficacy in medical interactions§ | 43.1 | SD .1 (10 to 50) |
| Mean physical health (SF-12: PCS)|| | 38.7 | SD 11.8 (11.6 to 58.6) |
| Mean mental health (SF-12: MCS)|| | 46.8 | SD 11.1 (17.9 to 68.2) |
Not all figures add up to 100%, due to missing data.
Sickness Fund: social insurance, mandatory for over 60% of the population, earning an income below a cutoff value (Euro 32,600 in 2004). Private health insurance: an available option for employees earning an income above the cutoff value of the Sickness Fund.
Higher scores indicate a higher preference for participation in medical decision making.
Higher scores indicate a higher self-efficacy regarding communication in medical interactions.
Higher scores indicate better perceived quality of life. Both PCS and MCS were calculated using standard U.S. scoring algorithms, which yield a mean score of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 in the U.S. general population.
SF-12, Short-Form Health Survey; PCS, physical component score; MCS, mental component score; SD, standard deviation.