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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Oct 20.
Published in final edited form as: Genet Med. 2008 Jun;10(6):404–414. doi: 10.1097/GIM.0b013e3181770184

Table 3. Factors Associated with Physicians’ Having Ever Ordered a Genetic Test.

Breast Cancer Colon Cancer Sickle Cell Huntington’s
Disease		 Any
Genetic Test
N=938 N=938 N=940 N=936 N=944
OR (95% CI)
CHARACTERISTICS OF PHYSICIANS’ PATIENT PANELS
High Proportion Minority
Patients		 0.42 (0.23-0.79)** 0.39 (0.19- 0.80)** 0.74 (0.45-1.21) 0.21 (0.08-0.53)† 0.67 (0.42-1.07)
High Proportion Medicaid
Patients		 1.15 (0.68-1.96) 1.59 (0.87-2.92) 0.82 (0.51-1.31) 1.25 (0.67-2.34) 0.96 (0.61-1.51)
High Proportion Patients with
Primary Language other than
English		 0.75 (0.44-1.28) 0.91 (0.50-1.65) 1.41 (0.90-2.20) 0.98 (0.54-1.78) 0.92 (0.60-1.42)
High Proportion Uninsured
Patients		 0.95 (0.61-1.49) 1.43 (0.87-2.34) 0.93 (0.62-1.39) 1.00 (0.58-1.72) 1.03 (0.69-1.55)
OTHER PRACTICE CHARACTERISTICS
Size of Practice
 1-2 Doctors
0.73 (0.51-1.05)
1.10 (0.73-1.67)
1.08 (0.78-1.50)
1.00 (0.66-1.50)
0.74 (0.53-1.04)
 ≥ 2 Doctors REF REF REF REF REF
Region
 Northeast
1.49 (0.95-2.35)
1.40 (0.83-2.35)
0.82 (0.54-1.24)
1.39 (0.78-2.47)
1.37 (0.89-2.10)
 Midwest 1.10 (0.71-1.70) 0.73 (0.43-1.23) 0.96 (0.65-1.40) 1.87 (1.14-3.08)* 0.94 (0.64-1.39)
 West 1.47 (0.90-2.38) 0.90 (0.52-1.58) 0.78 (0.51-1.19) 1.81 (1.02-3.24)* 1.02 (0.67-1.54)
 South REF REF REF REF REF
PHYSICIAN CHARACTERISTICS
Age
 < 45		 REF REF REF REF REF
 45-64 1.00 (0.70-1.43) 1.07 (0.70-1.62) 0.86 (0.63-1.18) 0.98 (0.65-1.48) 0.88 (0.64-1.22)
 ≥ 65 0.87 (0.47-1.61) 0.98 (0.46-2.11) 0.44 (0.25-0.79)** 1.12 (0.57-2.21) 0.51 (0.30-0.86)*
Self-Identified Race
 Black
1.90 (0.63-5.74)
0.82 (0.14-4.73)
1.82 (0.69-4.76)
2.04 (0.66-6.31)
2.01 (0.63-6.39)
 Hispanic 1.86 (0.82-4.19) 2.38 (0.97-5.84) 1.14 (0.53-2.46) 1.65 (0.62-4.35) 1.15 (0.51-2.56)
 Asian 1.12 (0.70-1.81) 1.67 (0.99-2.83) 0.93 (0.60-1.43) 0.79 (0.41-1.51) 1.00 (0.66-1.51)
 Other Race 0.70 (0.27-1.83) 1.93 (0.70-5.28) 0.75 (0.32-1.77) 1.12 (0.39-3.25) 0.72 (0.31-1.66)
 White
Specialty
 Family Practice		 REF

0.61 (0.44-0.85)** 		REF

0.79 (0.54-1.17)		 REF

1.23 (0.92-1.65)		 REF

1.32 (0.90-1.94)		 REF

0.97 (0.72- 1.31)
 Internal Medicine REF REF REF REF REF
Full-time Faculty
Appointment
1.34 (0.79-2.28)
1.13 (0.62-2.09)
1.48 (0.95-2.29)
1.61 (0.86-3.03)
1.00 (0.63-1.60)
PHYSICIAN CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO GENETICS
Received Training in Clinical
Genetics in Medical School
1.60 (1.12-2.30)*
1.74 (1.13-2.69)*
1.94 (1.41-2.66)†
1.41 (0.91-2.17)
1.89 (1.39-2.57)†
Received Training in Clinical
Genetics in CME
2.18 (1.57-3.01)†
1.77 (1.20-2.62)**
1.51 (1.13-2.01)**
1.73 (1.17-2.55)**
1.80 (1.34-2.43) †
Accurate Knowledge of
Current Legal Protections
1.00 (0.57-1.74)
1.23 (0.69-2.21)
1.49 (0.91-2.42)
1.00 (0.54-1.87)
2.09 (1.19-3.69)*
Confident Interpreting Genetic
Test Results
0.59 (0.27-1.32)
0.45 (0.18-1.15)
0.56 (0.27-1.16)
0.46 (0.19-1.16)
0.69 (0.31-1.51)
Feels Prepared to Counsel
Patients Considering a Genetic
Test
1.83 (0.76-4.39)
2.81 (1.18-6.71)*
2.25 (1.02-5.00)*
3.60 (1.53-8.43)**
3.13 (1.20-8.17)*
Early Adopter of New
Diagnostic Tests
1.20 (0.77-1.87)
1.40 (0.85-2.29)
1.10 (0.75-1.63)
1.31 (0.80-2.15)
2.03 (1.31-3.13)**
Optimistic that Genetics Will
Improve Treatment
2.56 (1.62-4.04)†
2.17 (1.31-3.60)**
0.99 (0.63-1.54)
1.16 (0.68-1.98)
1.11 (0.71-1.74)

Note: Also included in model but not shown: practice setting (independent practice versus those practicing in a health maintenance organization, hospital-based practice, community health center or other setting).

*

p<0.05

**

p<0.01

†

p<0.001

Only those respondents for whom there were complete data were included in each regression analysis, with available cases for individual regressions ranging from 934 (83% of full sample) to 945 (84% of full sample) respondents.