Table 3: Association between primary care physician supply and optimal monitoring* (n = 610 441) and hospital visits for diabetes complications† (n = 712 681), by urban and nonurban networks.
| Outcome/model | Urban | Nonurban | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RR (95% CI) | p value | RR (95% CI) | p value | |
| Optimal monitoring* | ||||
| Unadjusted | ||||
| High | 1.06 (1.04-1.07) | < 0.001 | 1.16 (1.13-1.20) | < 0.001 |
| Medium | 1.03 (1.02-1.04) | < 0.001 | 1.18 (1.14-1.23) | < 0.001 |
| Low (reference) | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||
| Adjusted for patient characteristics‡ | ||||
| High | 1.06 (1.04-1.07) | < 0.001 | 1.17 (1.14-1.21) | < 0.001 |
| Medium | 1.04 (1.03-1.05) | < 0.001 | 1.19 (1.14-1.23) | < 0.001 |
| Low (reference) | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||
| ≥ 1 emergency department visits | ||||
| Unadjusted | ||||
| High | 1.11 (0.89-1.38) | 0.4 | 0.96 (0.83-1.11) | 0.6 |
| Medium | 1.10 (0.87-1.40) | 0.4 | 0.94 (0.79-1.12) | 0.5 |
| Low (reference) | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||
| Adjusted for patient characteristics‡ | ||||
| High | 1.05 (0.94-1.17) | 0.4 | 0.96 (0.85-1.08) | 0.5 |
| Medium | 0.99 (0.89-1.10) | 0.9 | 0.95 (0.80-1.11) | 0.5 |
| Low (reference) | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||
| One or more hospital admissions | ||||
| Unadjusted | ||||
| High | 1.04 (0.84-1.29) | 0.70 | 0.93 (0.79-1.10) | 0.4 |
| Medium | 1.08 (0.85-1.36) | 0.5 | 0.97 (0.83-1.13) | 0.7 |
| Low (reference) | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||
| Adjusted for patient characteristics‡ | ||||
| High | 1.01 (0.89-1.14) | 0.9 | 0.91 (0.77-1.07) | 0.2 |
| Medium | 0.97 (0.86-1.10) | 0.6 | 1.09 (0.94-1.27) | 0.2 |
| Low (reference) | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||
Note: CI = confidence Interval, RR = relative risk.
*Defined as 1 retinal eye exam, 1 cholesterol test and 4 glycated hemoglobin tests during the 2-year study period.
†Visits for hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, skin or soft-tissue infection, or cardiovascular events.
‡Age, sex, income quintile, recent immigration, diabetes duration, mental health diagnosis, comorbidity and morbidity.