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. 2013 May 31;14:72. doi: 10.1186/1471-2296-14-72

Table 2.

Practice and family profile of models and bivariate association with the continuity score

Practice characteristics
 Profile distribution
 Association with continuity across all models
  
 Standardized effect size
  CHC FFS FHN HSO Effect Size (%)1 95% CI3 ES/SD
Practice type (n)
 35
 35
 35
 32
  
  
  
Mean # FP and NP
 5.5
 2.5
 3.9
 1.8
 −0.94
 (−1.2, -0.55) **
 M
Panel size1 (1000’s)†2,4
 1.3
 1.8
 1.5
 2
 −0.33
 (−0.12, 0.65)
 S
Booking intervals (min)†
 25
 13
 14
 14
 −0.17
 (−0.31, -0.038) *
 M
Solo practice5‡
 0
 26
 37
 38
 3.7
 (5.7, 1.7) **
 VL
Presence of nurse(s) (%)†
 97
 31
 69
 75
 −2.7
 (−4.6, -0.81) **
 M
Number of nurses6†
 2.7
 0.6
 2
 1.1
 −1.1
 (−1.6, -0.50) **
 VL
# hours practice open out of (8am-4pm)
 12
 8
 7
 5
 −0.32
 (−0.48, -0.16) **
 L
Open on weekends
 20
 20
 23
 0
 −5.3
 (−7.6, -3.0) **
 M
Contextual factors
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hospital (<10km)
 71.4
 85.3
 94.1
 86.7
 −0.74
 (−3.1, 1.6)
 T
Rurality index4
 14
 12.6
 16.2
 8
 −0.0085
 (−0.063, 0.046)
 T
Family physician characteristics
 108
 58
 80
 42
  
  
  
Average years since graduation†
 19
 22
 23
 29
 0.19
 (0.082, 0.30) **
 T
Female FP (%)5‡
 58
 45
 41
 26
 −3
 (−5.2, -0.86) **
 L
Provider foreign trained (%)§
 9.3
 17.2
 2.5
 14.3
 2.2
 (−2.0, 6.4)
 T
Provider has CFPC degree (%)
 79
 85
 78
 68
 −0.77
 (−3.3, 1.7)
 T
>24 hours on call/week (%) 17.6 12.1 19 36.6 3.2 (0.82, 0.55) ** VL

1 ES/SD: Effect Size / Standard deviation; S if ES/SD < 0.2; M if 0.2 < =ES/SD < 0.5; L if 0.5 < =ES/SD < 0.8; VL if ES/SD > =0.8; CI = Confidence Interval; FP = family physician; NP = Nurse Practitioner; CFPC = College of Family Physicians of Canada.

2 Symbols adjacent to the practice factor indicate that it is statistically different across the models: § p < 0.05, ‡ p < 0.01, † p < 0.001. These are generated by Chi-square statistic or by F-statistic (ANOVA), as appropriate.

3 Symbols adjacent to the confidence intervals indicate that the effect size is significantly associated with the continuity score: * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01. These are generated by multi-level linear regression.

4 Average number of patients per full time equivalent family physician in the practice.

5 Reflects practices that host a single family physician only.

6Number of full time equivalent nurses and nursing assistants.

4 Refers to the Rurality Index of Ontario adopted by the Ontario Medical Association (https://www.oma.org/economics/data/RuralityRIO.pdf).

5 We only captured the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents. The percent of a female family physician in the practice reflects the percentage of female family physician respondents.