Table 2.
Factors related to getting a face-to-face contact (clinic consultation or a home visit) when calling OOH primary care
| n (%) | Adjusted RR (95% CI)a | |
|---|---|---|
| GPs answering the telephone calls | ||
| Age, years | ||
| 30–39 | 1416 (18.1) | Ref. |
| 40–49 | 2013 (25.8) | 1.03 (0.91 to 1.17) |
| 50–59 | 2843 (36.4) | 1.04 (0.93 to 1.16) |
| ≥60 | 1538 (19.7) | 0.99 (0.82 to 1.20) |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 5620 (72.0) | Ref. |
| Female | 2190 (28.0) | 0.99 (0.88 to 1.11) |
| Number of shifts within year | ||
| 0–29 | 1717 (22.3) | Ref. |
| 30–49 | 2062 (26.8) | 1.05 (0.95 to 1.17) |
| ≥50 | 3909 (50.9) | 1.00 (0.90 to 1.11) |
|
| ||
| Patient | ||
| Age, years | ||
| 0–17 | 2473 (31.7) | 1.04 (0.96 to 1.11) |
| 18–39 | 2330 (29.8) | Ref. |
| 40–64 | 1713 (21.9) | 1.13 (1.04 to 1.23) |
| >64 | 1293 (16.6) | 1.34 (1.25 to 1.45) |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 3677 (47.1) | Ref. |
| Female | 4133 (52.9) | 0.92 (0.88 to 0.97) |
|
| ||
| Contact | ||
| Reason for encounter | ||
| Trauma | 652 (8.4) | 0.84 (0.75 to 0.94) |
| Infections | 261 (3.4) | 0.50 (0.41 to 0.61) |
| Symptoms/complaints | 5936 (76.2) | Ref. |
| Other | 945 (12.1) | 0.34 (0.29 to 0.41) |
| Duration of health problem, hours | ||
| <5 | 2474 (33.9) | Ref. |
| 5–12 | 1726 (23.7) | 1.07 (1.00 to 1.15) |
| >12–24 | 1238 (17.0) | 1.15 (1.06 to 1.24) |
| >24 | 1859 (25.5) | 1.03 (0.95 to 1.11) |
| GP-assessed severity | ||
| Severe — needs to be admitted directly/potentially life-threateningb | 319 (4.1) | 2.60 (1.94 to 3.49) |
| Potentially severe — needs to be seen by a doctor | 1912 (24.5) | 5.81 (4.69 to 7.18) |
| Not severe — but the patient is ill | 4309 (55.2) | 2.23 (1.81 to 2.75) |
| Patient is not ill | 921 (11.8) | Ref. |
| Don’t know | 349 (4.5) | 3.15 (2.37 to 4.19) |
| Time of contact | ||
| Weekend and holidaysc | 4107 (52.6) | 0.94 (0.86 to 1.02) |
| Weekday nights (0 am–8 pm) | 1664 (21.3) | 0.61 (0.55 to 0.68) |
| Weekdays late afternoon (4 pm–8 pm) | 1256 (16.1) | Ref. |
| Weekday evenings (8 pm–12 pm) | 783 (10.0) | 0.82 (0.74 to 0.91) |
| Duration to opening hours of patient’s own GP | ||
| <2 hours after own GP’s closing hours | 825 (10.6) | Ref. |
| <2 hours before own GP’s opening hours | 391 (5.0) | 0.27 (0.21 to 0.35) |
| >2 hours after own GP’s closing or >2 hours before own GP’s opening hours | 6594 (84.4) | 0.84 (0.78 to 0.91) |
a
Adjusted for age group of patient, sex of patient, duration of health problem, and reason for encounter.
b
‘Severe — needs to be admitted directly’ for calls ended as a telephone consultation, and ‘severe — potentially life-threatening’ for calls referred to a face-to-face contact.
c
Friday 4 pm to Sunday 12 pm, and public holidays.
Ref. = reference. RR = relative risk.