Table 1.
Characteristics of participants (n = 1,053)
| Characteristics | Total | Participants from French-speaking countries | Participants from English-speaking countries | Participants from Spanish-speaking countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 1,053) | (n = 693) | (n = 315) | (n = 45) | |
| Age (yr), Median (IQR) | 47 (35–57) | 46 (35–56) | 49 (36–59) | 45 (37–55) |
| Female sex, n (%) | 768 (73) | 474 (68) | 262 (83) | 30 (67) |
| Marital status, n (%) | ||||
| Married or civil union | 544 (52) | 352 (51) | 170 (54) | 22 (49) |
| Live in partner | 129 (12) | 98 (14) | 28 (9.0) | 3 (6.7) |
| Single | 252 (24) | 166 (24) | 70 (22) | 16 (36) |
| Divorced | 107 (10) | 63 (9.0) | 42 (14) | 2 (4.4) |
| Widowed | 21 (2.0) | 14 (2.0) | 5 (1.6) | 2 (4.4) |
| Highest educational level, n (%) | ||||
| Primary/middle school | 30 (2.8) | 23 (3.3) | 6 (1.9) | 1 (2.2) |
| High school | 305 (29) | 249 (36) | 44 (14) | 12 (27) |
| College | 718 (68) | 421 (61) | 265 (84) | 32 (71) |
| Place where participants go most frequently for consultations, n (%) | ||||
| Public hospital | 465 (44) | 378 (54) | 65 (21) | 22 (49) |
| Private hospital | 83 (7.9) | 61 (8.8) | 17 (5.4) | 5 (11) |
| General practitioner’s clinic | 295 (28) | 163 (24) | 124 (39) | 7 (16) |
| Specialist clinic | 210 (20) | 91 (13) | 109 (35) | 11 (24) |
| Presence of informal caregiver a, n (%) | 478 (45) | 329 (47) | 126 (40) | 23 (51) |
| No. of medical appointments/month, Median (IQR) | 4 (2–8) | 5 (3–9) | 3 (2–5) | 3 (2–7) |
| No. of different physicians the participant regularly sees, n (%) | 3 (2–4) | 3 (2–4) | 3 (2–4) | 3 (2–4) |
| No. of tablets/day, Median (IQR) | 8 (4–12) | 7 (4–12) | 8 (4–15) | 4.5 (2–9.5) |
| No. of injections/day, Median (IQR) | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) |
| Time needed to organize medications per week (minutes), Median (IQR) | 30 (14–70) | 21 (10–45) | 35 (15–90) | 35 (10–105) |
| Time needed for self-monitoring per week (minutes), Median (IQR) | 8.5 (0–20) | 5 (0–15) | 10 (0–35) | 17.5 (5–60) |
| No. of conditions, Median (IQR) | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–4) | 2 (1–3) |
| Participants with >2 chronic conditions, n (%) | 662 (63) | 409 (59) | 224 (71) | 29 (64) |
| Main chronic conditions b | ||||
| Diabetes | 168 (16) | 98 (14) | 53 (17) | 17 (38) |
| Other endocrine disorders | 197 (19) | 106 (15) | 81 (26) | 10 (22) |
| Lung diseases | 142 (13) | 52 (7.5) | 84 (27) | 6 (13) |
| High blood pressure or dyslipidemia | 303 (29) | 207 (30) | 87 (28) | 9 (20) |
| Heart diseases | 125 (12) | 57 (8.2) | 64 (20) | 4 (8.9) |
| Kidney or urological diseases | 304 (29) | 285 (41) | 18 (5.7) | 1 (2.2) |
| Gastrointestinal diseases | 138 (13) | 66 (9.5) | 66 (21) | 6 (13) |
| Stroke or cerebrovascular disease | 35 (3.3) | 20 (2.9) | 15 (4.8) | 0 (0) |
| Neurologic diseases | 146 (14) | 89 (13) | 49 (16) | 8 (18) |
| Rheumatologic disease | 344 (33) | 209 (30) | 127 (40) | 8 (18) |
| Cancer or malignant blood diseases | 84 (8.0) | 59 (8.5) | 21 (6.7) | 4 (8.9) |
| Psychiatric disease | 128 (13) | 56 (8.1) | 60 (19) | 12 (27) |
| Vision problems | 79 (7.5) | 46 (6.6) | 29 (9.2) | 4 (8.9) |
| Otorhinolaryngological problems | 64 (6.1) | 42 (6.1) | 21 (6.7) | 1 (2.2) |
| Skin diseases | 89 (8.4) | 58 (8.4) | 21 (6.7) | 10 (22) |
| Infectious disease | 12 (1.0) | 8 (1.1) | 3 (0.9) | 1 (2.2) |
| Systemic conditions | 108 (10) | 70 (10) | 38 (12) | 0 (0) |
| Other c | 50 (4.7) | 26 (3.7) | 20 (6.3) | 4 (8.9) |
a Informal caregivers were family members or friends who helped the participant with healthcare tasks without payment for the care; b A patient can have multiple chronic conditions; c Other included non-malignant hematological conditions, thrombosis, obstetrical conditions, genetic disorders