Table 3.
Comparing patients seeking healthcare in emergency departments with patients seeking healthcare in primary healthcare centres using Fisher’s exact test
| Variables (N) | Total n (%) | ED n (%) 49 (24) | PHC n (%) 158 (76) | P-value < 0.05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (207) | ||||
| Male | 80 (39) | 18 (37) | 62 (39) | 0.867 |
| Country of birth (207) | ||||
| Sweden | 182 (88) | 44 (90) | 138 (87) | 0.804 |
| Age (207) | ||||
| 20–24 | 121 (60) | 30 (61) | 91 (59) | 0.868 |
| Education (201) | ||||
| >Secondary school | 44 (22) | 12 (26) | 32 (21) | 0.546 |
| Employment (207) | ||||
| Working | 135 (65) | 30 (61) | 105 (67) | 0.498 |
| Unemployed | 9 (4) | 1 (2) | 8 (5) | 0.689 |
| Student | 68 (33) | 22 (45) | 46 (29) | 0.055 |
| Sick leave | 16 (8) | 1 (2) | 15 (10) | 0.125 |
| Parental leave | 7 (3) | 1 (2) | 6 (4) | 1 |
| Type of symptoma (207) | ||||
| Respiratory | 32 (15) | 3 (6) | 29 (18) | 0.042 |
| Circulatory | 8 (4) | 4 (8) | 4 (3) | 0.092 |
| Muscle and skeletal | 31 (15) | 9 (18) | 22 (14) | 0.494 |
| Trauma | 18 (9) | 5 (10) | 13 (8) | 0.772 |
| Gastrointestinal | 39 (19) | 19 (40) | 20 (13) | <0.001 |
| Skin | 18 (9) | 3 (6) | 15 (10) | 0.573 |
| Genital and urinary tract | 10 (5) | 2 (4) | 8 (5) | 1 |
| Psychiatric | 25 (12) | 0 | 25 (16) | <0.001 |
| Other | 45 (22) | 8 (16) | 37 (23) | 0.329 |
| Attempt self-carea (207) | ||||
| Resting | 124 (60) | 36 (74) | 88 (56) | 0.030 |
| Stayed home from work/school | 81 (39) | 20 (41) | 61 (39) | 0.867 |
| Medication | 87 (42) | 24 (49) | 63 (40) | 0.320 |
| Physical activity | 38 (18) | 9 (18) | 29 (18) | 1 |
| Supporting bandage | 14 (7) | 3 (6) | 11 (7) | 1 |
| Naturopathic drug | 29 (14) | 5 (10) | 24 (15) | 0.484 |
| Diet | 33 (16) | 6 (12) | 27 (17) | 0.508 |
| Tried nothing | 35 (17) | 6 (12) | 29 (18) | 0.388 |
| Symptoms, health and healthcare | ||||
| ⪯24 h (197) | 45 (22) | 22 (48) | 23 (15) | <0.001 |
| Inconvenience (198) | 164 (79) | 39 (87) | 125 (85) | 1 |
| Anxious about symptoms (203) | 85 (41) | 23 (48) | 62 (40) | 0.403 |
| Anxious about health in general (200) | 26 (13) | 3 (6) | 23 (16) | 0.097 |
| Healthcare within last two months (204) | 65 (31) | 16 (33) | 49 (32) | 1 |
| Trust in healthcare (203) | 56 (27) | 13 (28) | 43 (28) | 1 |
| Information and advice | ||||
| Healthcare professional’s recommendation to seek care (205) | 66 (32) | 30 (61) | 36 (23) | <0.001 |
| Medical advisory service as source of information (184) | 166 (80) | 43 (96) | 123 (89) | 0.249 |
| Health literacy | ||||
| Insufficient/problematic health literacy (157) | 58 (28) | 10 (26) | 48 (40) | 0.128 |
| Diagnosisb | ||||
| R00-R99 (ICD-10 symptom diagnosis) (106) | 34 (16) | 13 (54) | 21 (26) | 0.013 |
a
Answer for more than one alternative possible (sum of individuals is based on the total number of people who answered one or more alternative).
b
Only 106 patients gave approval to their medical records, that is, diagnosis.