Table 1.
Characteristics of responding clinics: Out of 22 clinics, 19 completed the clinic information survey, for a response rate of 86%. Not all of the questions were answered by the clinics that completed the surveys.
| CHARACTERISTIC | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Province or territory (N = 19) | |
| • BC | 2 (10.5) |
| • NT | 1 (5.3) |
| • MB | 2 (10.5) |
| • ON | 3 (15.8) |
| • SK | 3 (15.8) |
| • QC | 1 (5.3) |
| • NL | 1 (5.3) |
| • NB | 6 (31.6) |
| Rurality* (N = 19) | |
| • Yes | 5 (26.3) |
| • No | 14 (73.7) |
| Designated referral clerk (N = 19) | |
| • Yes | 11 (57.9) |
| • No | 8 (42.1) |
| Referral method (N = 19) | |
| • Electronic | 4 (21.1) |
| • Paper (fax, mail, etc) | 8 (42.1) |
| • Both | 7 (36.8) |
| • Other | 0 (0.0) |
| Able to identify specialty type on referral (N = 18) | |
| • Yes | 17 (94.4) |
| • No | 1 (5.6) |
| Able to identify referral reason on referral (N = 19) | |
| • Yes | 17 (89.5) |
| • No | 2 (10.5) |
| Able to identify which patients have been referred to a specialist (N = 17) | |
| • Yes | 13 (76.5) |
| • No | 4 (23.5) |
| Years in operation (N = 19) | |
| • Less than 1 y | 0 (0.0) |
| • 1 to 4 y | 0 (0.0) |
| • 5 to 9 y | 1 (5.3) |
| • More than 10 y | 18 (94.7) |
| Clinic payment model clinic (N = 19) | |
| • Fee for service | 7 (36.8) |
| • Other | 12 (63.2) |
| On-site specialist services (N = 19) | |
| • Yes | 9 (47.4) |
| • No | 10 (52.6) |
| Experience with shared care model of patient care with specialists (N = 18) | |
| • Yes | 8 (44.4) |
| • No | 10 (55.6) |
| Experience using telemedicine (N = 17) | |
| • Yes | 6 (35.3) |
| • No | 11 (61.1) |
| Telemedicine unit on site (N = 4) | |
| • Yes | 3 (75.0) |
| • No | 1 (25.0) |
*
Clinics were considered rural if they were located in areas with a population density of less than 400 persons per km2.