Table 2.
Consultation patterns of 463 patients who visited their general practitioner with a new episode of low back pain. Values are numbers (percentages) of patients
| Patients’ age (years)
|
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consultation pattern | Men
|
Women
|
||||||||
| 18-29 | 30-44 | 45-59 | 60-75 | 18-29 | 30-44 | 45-59 | 60-75 | Total | ||
| One only* | 26 (76) | 33 (52) | 31 (53) | 21 (60) | 46 (85) | 56 (62) | 34 (48) | 28 (50) | 275 (59) | |
| Repeat within 3 months† | 7 (21) | 21 (33) | 21 (36) | 12 (34) | 8 (15) | 28 (31) | 29 (41) | 24 (43) | 150 (32) | |
| Repeat beyond 3 months‡ | 1 (3) | 10 (16) | 6 (10) | 2 (6) | 0 | 7 (8) | 8 (11) | 4 (7) | 38 (8) | |
*
Subjects who did not consult again after index consultation.
†
Subjects who consulted again only within 3 months of index consultation.
‡
Subjects who consulted again beyond 3 months after index consultation.