Table 1.

Patient and practice characteristics of patients with a referral to medical specialist care, 2008–2010, 48,784 referrals

Patient characteristics
Gender (% female)	58.7 %
Age
0–17 year	12.2 %
18–24 year	5.2 %
25–44 year	24.1 %
45–64 year	33.6 %
65–74 year	13.3 %
75 years or older	11.7 %
Chronic diseases
No chronic disease	50.7 %
1 chronic disease	29.8 %
2 chronic diseases	12.3 %
3 or more chronic diseases	7.1 %
Distance to nearest medical care facility (km)	3 (1–11)
Living in deprived urban area	9.3 %
Social status of the neighbourhood
Quartile 1: -5.9 - -0.9	22.8 %
Quartile 2: -0.9 - -0.2	27.9 %
Quartile 3: -0.2 - 0.62	23.1 %
Quartile 4: 0.62 - 2.86	26.3 %
Practice characteristics (per year)
Practice type
Single-handed practice	25.6 %
Duo practice	20,0 %
Group practice or health centre	54,4 %
Face-to-face contacts with GP	2.63 (0.37)
Guideline adherence referrals	90.0 (4.3)
Primary care nurse	86.7 %