Table 6.

Multivariate analysis of the effect of timing on physician prescribing continued LT4 vs. increasing LT4 vs. adding LT3 to LT4 vs. replacing LT4 with T3-containing therapy.

Timing and Physician Characteristics		Treatment group	Adjusted OR	95% confidence limits
Time (Feb = ref)	Dec	2 vs. 1	1.3	0.95	1.8
	Dec	3 vs. 1	1.5	1.0	2.3
	Dec	4 vs. 1	1.4	0.87	2.3
	Mar	2 vs. 1	1.1	0.76	1.5
	Mar	3 vs. 1	1.1	0.72	1.7
	Mar	4 vs. 1	0.92	0.55	1.5
Number of years in practice (in training = ref)	<5 years	2 vs. 1	1.7	0.65	4.3
	<5 years	3 vs. 1	1.8	0.54	6.2
	<5 years	4 vs. 1	2.4	0.55	10.1
	5–10 years	2 vs. 1	1.7	0.67	4.1
	5–10 years	3 vs. 1	1.5	0.46	4.8
	5–10 years	4 vs. 1	1.5	0.36	6.1
	11–20 years	2 vs. 1	2.7	1.1	6.5
	11–20 years	3 vs. 1	2.4	0.78	7.4
	11–20 years	4 vs. 1	2.3	0.58	8.9
	>20 years	2 vs. 1	2.0	0.84	4.6
	>20 years	3 vs. 1	1.1	0.35	3.2
	>20 years	4 vs. 1	1.5	0.39	5.6
Country of practice (other = ref)	North America	2 vs. 1	0.9	0.71	1.2
	North America	3 vs. 1	1.8	1.2	2.6
	North America	4 vs. 1	1.5	0.95	2.3
Specialty (internist or primary care physician = ref)	Endocrinologist	2 vs. 1	2.0	0.68	5.9
	Endocrinologist	3 vs. 1	1.1	0.27	4.3
	Endocrinologist	4 vs. 1	1.4	0.25	7.5
	Surgeon	2 vs. 1	3.9	1.2	13.0
	Surgeon	3 vs. 1	1.1	0.22	5.2
	Surgeon	4 vs. 1	5.3	0.81	34.3
	Nuclear medicine physician	2 vs. 1	2.9	0.83	10.2
	Nuclear medicine physician	3 vs. 1	0.77	0.14	4.1
	Nuclear medicine physician	4 vs. 1	3.1	0.44	22.1
	Other	2 vs. 1	1.6	0.44	5.8
	Other	3 vs. 1	0.56	0.10	3.1
	Other	4 vs. 1	3.2	0.45	23.1

OR and CI indicated in bold font are significant.

Continuing LT4 = therapeutic group 1 (reference), Increasing LT4 = therapeutic group 2, Adding LT3 to same or reduced LT4 = group 3, Replacing LT4 with DTE or LT3 = group 4.