Table 3.
Clinical Measurements and Health Care Utilization of Rural and Urban COPD Patients
| Variables | Rural (n=110) | Urban (n=107) | P | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BODE index, mean(SD) | 4.75 | (1.87) | 4.10 | (1.92) | .013 a |
| Body Mass Index | 28.92 | (6.84) | 28.97 | (6.62) | .946 |
| FEV1% | 44.24 | (13.29) | 47.40 | (12.9) | .077 |
| MRC dyspnea scale | 2.02 | (0.89) | 1.68 | (0.96) | .008 a |
| 6MWD(m) | 334.0 | (99.26) | 352.3 | (94.00) | .164 |
| 6MWD(m), median(IQR) | 345.40 | (253.1, 396.5) | 366.0 | (291.3, 427.0) | .215 |
| Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire, mean(SD) | |||||
| Dyspnea | 4.27 | (1.31) | 4.46 | (1.34) | .284 |
| Fatigue | 3.60 | (1.07) | 3.72 | (1.31) | .619 |
| Emotional Functioning | 4.51 | (0.88) | 4.54 | (0.91) | .829 |
| Mastery | 4.28 | (0.79) | 4.31 | (0.72) | .745 |
| GOLD Stage, n(%) | |||||
| Stage II: Moderate | 43 | (39.09) | 54 | (50.47) | .217 |
| Stage III: Severe | 48 | (43.64) | 40 | (37.38) | |
| Stage IV: Very Severe | 19 | (17.27) | 13 | (12.15) | |
| SF-12, mean(SD) | |||||
| PCS | 30.22 | (8.32) | 33.49 | (8.72) | .005 a |
| MCS | 51.09 | (11.63) | 49.09 | (11.14) | .198 |
| Health Care Utilization n(%) | |||||
| 1.) Visited a physician/nurse/nurse practitioner/physician assistant for Lung disease. |
88 | (80.00) | 73 | (68.22) | .048 a |
| 2.) Visited a physician/nurse/nurse practitioner/physician assistant’s visits for non-lung disease. |
80 | (72.73) | 71 | (66.98) | .357 |
| 3.) Hospitalized for lung disease. | 20 | (18.18) | 13 | (12.15) | .216 |
| 4.) Hospitalized for health problems other than lung disease. |
8 | (7.27) | 10 | (9.35) | .579 |
| 5.) Visited an urgent care or emergency room for lung disease and were not hospitalized. |
9 | (8.18) | 7 | (6.54) | .644 |
| 6.) Visited an urgent care or emergency room for health problems other than lung disease and were not hospitalized. |
13 | (11.82) | 16 | (14.95) | .497 |
| 7.) Used any home health services. | 12 | (10.91) | 12 | (11.21) | .943 |
a
indicates statistical significance at the 0.05 level
P values are based on independent sample t-tests and chi-square tests
SD=Standard Deviation; PCS=Physical Composite Score; MCS=Mental Composite Score; 6MWD=6 minute walk distance GOLD=Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; MRC=Medical Research Council