Table 1.
Characteristics of patients presenting to the ED: Not all survey questions were answered by all patients. Response rates reported for each question reflect those for which any response was recorded and the denominators were adjusted accordingly. P values in bold are statistically significant.
| VARIABLE | TOTAL PARTICIPANTS (N = 232) | ATTEMPTED ALTERNATIVE CARE (N = 116) | DID NOT ATTEMPT ALTERNATIVE CARE (N = 116) |  2P VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) age, y | 42.65 (17.12) | 43.14 (17.23) | 42.03 (17.06) | NA |
| Female sex, n (%) | 97 (51.1) | 55 (56.7) | 42 (43.3) | .48 |
| Marital status, n (%) | .68 | |||
| • Married or common law | 83 (41.3) | 46 (55.4) | 37 (44.6z) | |
| • Currently single | 111 (55.2) | 59 (53.2) | 52 (46.8) | |
| • Prefer not to answer | 7 (3.5) | 5 (71.4) | 2 (28.6) | |
| Living arrangements, n (%) | .91 | |||
| • Living alone | 57 (28.2) | 29 (50.9) | 28 (49.1) | |
| • Homeless | 6 (3.0) | 3 (50.0) | 3 (50.0) | |
| • Other | 5 (2.5) | 3 (60.0) | 2 (40.0) | |
| • Prefer not to answer | 134 (66.3) | 75 (56.0) | 59 (44.0) | |
| Residence, n (%) | .67 | |||
| • Independent living (eg, house, apartment) | 176 (87.1) | 96 (54.5) | 80 (45.5) | |
| • Assisted living or long-term care | 2 (1.0) | 1 (50.0) | 1 (50.0) | |
| • Homeless | 10 (5.0) | 7 (70.0) | 3 (30.0) | |
| • Other | 11 (5.4) | 4 (36.4) | 7 (63.6) | |
| • Prefer not to answer | 3 (1.5) | 2 (66.7) | 1 (33.3) | |
| Education level, n (%) | .091 | |||
| • High school or less | 58 (29.0) | 25 (43.1) | 33 (56.9) | |
| • Postsecondary | 136 (68.0) | 81 (59.6) | 55 (40.4) | |
| • Prefer not to answer | 6 (3.0) | 4 (66.7) | 2 (33.3) | |
| Primary activity in past 12 mo, n (%) | .96 | |||
| • Unemployed or disabled | 35 (17.4) | 18 (51.4) | 17 (48.6) | |
| • Other (eg, work, school, retired) | 149 (74.1) | 82 (55.0) | 67 (45.0) | |
| • Multiple activities | 5 (2.5) | 3 (60.0) | 2 (40.0) | |
| • Prefer not to answer | 12 (6.0) | 7 (58.3) | 5 (41.7) | |
| Cigarette smoking, n (%) | .95 | |||
| • Never | 107 (53.2) | 58 (54.2) | 49 (45.8) | |
| • Ex-smoker | 41 (20.4) | 22 (53.7) | 19 (46.3) | |
| • Current smoker | 53 (26.4) | 30 (56.6) | 23 (43.4) | |
| Walking ability, n (%) | .28 | |||
| • Unable to walk outside | 2 (1.0) | 1 (50.0) | 1 (50.0) | |
| • < 2 blocks | 34 (17.3) | 23 (67.6) | 11 (32.4) | |
| • ≥ 2 blocks | 161 (81.7) | 85 (52.8) | 76 (47.2) | |
| Has a family physician, n (%) | 157 (72.4) | 68 (43.3) | 89 (56.7) | .078 |
| Injury presentation, n (%) | 55 (24.6) | 21 (38.2) | 34 (61.8) | .044 |
| Illness presentation, n (%) | 122 (54.0) | 70 (57.4) | 52 (42.6) | .024 |
| Work-related illness or injury presentation, n (%) | 11 (4.9) | 2 (18.2) | 9 (81.8) | .028 |
| Mental health presentation, n (%) | 29 (12.8) | 17 (58.6) | 12 (41.4) | .32 |
| Substance use presentation, n (%) | 13 (5.8) | 8 (61.5) | 5 (38.5) | .41 |
| Symptom duration, n (%) | .007 | |||
| • < 48 h | 60 (34.7) | 21 (35.0) | 39 (65.0) | |
| • 2–7 d | 54 (31.2) | 26 (48.1) | 28 (51.9) | |
| • 8–30 d | 28 (16.2) | 20 (71.4) | 8 (28.6) | |
| • > 30 d | 31 (17.9) | 19 (61.3) | 12 (38.7) |
ED—emergency department, NA—not applicable.