Table 6.
Associations of patient and clinician characteristics with cluster membership
| n=1724 | High versus None | Moderate versus None | Low versus None |
| RRR* (95% CI) | RRR* (95% CI) | RRR* (95% CI) | |
| Patient factors | |||
| Age | |||
| 45–64 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 65–74 | 1.41 (1.07 to 1.84) | 0.45 (0.27 to 0.74) | 0.97 (0.69 to 1.37) |
| 75–84 | 1.13 (0.83 to 1.52) | 1.02 (0.65 to 1.60) | 1.42 (0.99 to 2.05) |
| 85+ | 0.91 (0.56 to 1.47) | 1.56 (0.85 to 2.89) | 1.24 (0.69 to 2.23) |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Female | 0.86 (0.69 to 1.07) | 1.03 (0.75 to 1.43) | 1.04 (0.80 to 1.36) |
| BMI category | |||
| Normal | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Overweight | 1.20 (0.91 to 1.60) | 0.57 (0.39 to 0.85) | 1.33 (0.93 to 1.90) |
| Not recorded | 0.39 (0.27 to 0.56) | 0.52 (0.33 to 0.81) | 0.52 (0.33 to 0.82) |
| Diagnosis | |||
| Recorded with joint pain only | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| OA diagnosis | 1.81 (1.41 to 2.32) | 0.55 (0.35 to 0.85) | 0.93 (0.68 to 1.29) |
| Site of OA | |||
| Knee | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hip | 0.86 (0.66 to 1.14) | 1.14 (0.76 to 1.71) | 1.04 (0.75 to 1.44) |
| Foot | 0.38 (0.24 to 0.60) | 0.73 (0.39 to 1.36) | 0.25 (0.13 to 0.51) |
| Hand | 0.45 (0.30 to 0.70) | 1.18 (0.70 to 1.98) | 0.88 (0.56 to 1.39) |
| Unspecified | 0.48 (0.30 to 0.80) | 0.85 (0.38 to 1.90) | 0.74 (0.41 to 1.34) |
| Multiple | 1.13 (0.75 to 1.74) | 1.89 (0.99 to 3.59) | 0.65 (0.34 to 1.24) |
| Morbidity load† | |||
| BNF count | |||
| 0–4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5–9 | 0.95 (0.71 to 1.26) | 0.74 (0.50 to 1.11) | 0.75 (0.54 to 1.06) |
| 10+ | 0.64 (0.47 to 0.87) | 0.55 (0.35 to 0.86) | 0.50 (0.35 to 0.73) |
| Number of OA consultations‡ | |||
| Multiple | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Single | 0.43 (0.34 to 0.54) | 0.47 (0.33 to 0.66) | 0.45 (0.34 to 0.60) |
| Consulter status | |||
| Repeat | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| New§ | 1.12 (0.89 to 1.41) | 1.09 (0.76 to 1.55) | 1.18 (0.88 to 1.59) |
| Clinician factors | |||
| Clinician OA workload‡ | |||
| Below the median | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Above the median | 2.90 (1.98 to 4.25) | 2.32 (1.33 to 4.03) | 1.46 (0.98 to 2.18) |
*Relative risk ratio from multilevel multinomial regression (patients within initial clinician seen) adjusted for all presented covariates, None cluster is reference.
†Number of BNF subchapters from which prescription was made in previous 12 months.
‡During 6-month period.
§No clinical OA consultations within the previous 12 months.
BMI, body mass index; BNF, British National Formulary; OA, osteoarthritis; RRR, relative risk ratios.