Table 2. General practice and general practitioner (GP) baseline characteristics.

	Intervention group		Control group
Practice factors at baseline	N practices		N practices
Number of practices	45		47
Number of GPs per practice (SD)	45	5 (3.9)	47	5 (3.8)
Number of practices with 1, 2, and 3 participating GPs:	45		47
- 1 GP participated		35		41
- 2 GPs participated		6		6
- 3 GPs participated		4		0
No. (%) rural practices	45	15 (33)	47	16 (34)
No. (%) with x-ray facility on site	43	3 (7)	46	1 (2)
No. (%) of industrial practices	44	3 (7)	46	4 (9)
No. (%) of training practices	43	30 (70)	46	27 (59)
Method of billing*:	41		44
- No. (%) Bulk bill		7 (17)		6 (14)
- No. (%) Co-payment		34 (83)		38 (86)
GP factors at baseline	N GPs		N GPs
Number	59		53
Mean age (years) (SD)	59	50 (9.5)	52	53 (11.5)
No. (%) female	59	20 (34)	52	19 (37)
Mean number of years since graduated (SD)	59	26 (9.8)	52	29 (11.3)
No. (%) with special interest in LBP	56	5 (9)	45	11 (24)
No. (%) undertaken LBP continuing education in past year	56	9 (16)	44	2 (5)
Mean number of patients seen per week (SD)	56	123 (58.2)	44	130 (52.6)
Mean number of LBP patients seen per week (SD) (averaged over the previous month) [Median; IQR]	56	3 (4.0) [2; 1 to 3]	42	3 (4.7) [2; 1 to 3]
No. (%) who are members of local GP Division#	55	53 (96)	45	40 (89)

SD: standard deviation; No.: number; IQR: Interquartile range [25^th percentile to 75^th percentile]; LBP: low back pain.

^*Bulk bill: the total payment for patient’s consultation is paid for by the Medicare system; Co-payment: Medicare system pays for part of the consultation and the patient pays for the remainder of the cost.

^#The Divisions of General Practice Program was funded by the Australian Government to provide services and support to general practice.