Table 1.
Physician and practice characteristics of respondents practising office-based primary care, by whether they personally used e-mail with patients: The total N value for any one cell varies depending on the question response rate.
| CHARACTERISTICS | PHYSICIANS WHO USED E-MAIL WITH PATIENTS | PHYSICIANS WHO DID NOT USE E-MAIL WITH PATIENTS | P VALUE* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | |||
| Age in years, n/N (%) | .416† | ||
| • < 40 | 71/243 (29) | 84/306 (27) | |
| • 40-49 | 68/243 (28) | 77/306 (25) | |
| • 50-59 | 48/243 (20) | 79/306 (26) | |
| • ≥ 60 | 56/243 (23) | 66/306 (22) | |
| Mean (SD) age in years | 48.3 (11.7) | 48.6 (11.4) | .68 |
| Years since graduating medical school, n/N (%) | .286† | ||
| • 0-10 | 65/243 (27) | 68/306 (22) | |
| • 11-20 | 65/243 (27) | 80/306 (26) | |
| • 21-30 | 49/243 (20) | 82/306 (27) | |
| • ≥ 31 | 64/243 (26) | 76/306 (25) | |
| Female sex, n/N (%) | 139/243 (57) | 183/303 (60) | .505 |
| Born in Canada, n/N (%) | 180/241 (75) | 206/304 (68) | .0946 |
| Practice characteristics | |||
| Estimated proportion of work week spent providing office-based primary care, n/N (%) | .037†‡ | ||
| • 0% to 49% | 63/243 (26) | 56/308 (18) | |
| • 50% to 100% | 180/243 (74) | 252/308 (82) | |
| Group practice, n/N (%) | 236/243 (97) | 293/308 (95) | .335 |
| Interdisciplinary team–based practice, n/N (%) | 214/265 (81) | 266/345 (77) | .321 |
| Mean (SD) roster size§ | 989 (590) | 1208 (1039) | .001‡ |
| Mean (SD) no. of physicians in main office setting | 10.7 (9.6) | 7.9 (8.4) | < .001‡ |
| Largest component of professional income, n/N (%) | .002†‡ | ||
| • Capitation, salary, or stipend or research award | 214/241 (89) | 235/299 (79) | |
| • Fee for service | 27/241 (11) | 64/299 (21) | |
| Practice remuneration model,|| n/N (%) | .001†‡ | ||
| • Enhanced fee-for-service | 17/230 (7) | 48/302 (16) | |
| • Blended capitation | 161/230 (70) | 163/302 (54) | |
| • Salaried | 46/230 (20) | 73/302 (24) | |
| • Traditional fee-for-service | 6/230 (3) | 18/302 (6) | |
| Practice is at a core teaching site, n/N (%) | < .001†‡ | ||
| • Yes | 144/243 (59) | 118/310 (38) | |
| • No | 99/243 (41) | 192/310 (62) | |
| Electronic medical record type, n/N (%) | < .001†‡ | ||
| • Telus Practice Solutions Suite | 145/240 (60) | 114/297 (38) | |
| • QHR Accuro | 26/240 (11) | 69/297 (23) | |
| • OSCAR | 25/240 (10) | 49/297 (16) | |
| • Other | 44/240 (18) | 65/297 (22) | |
*
Calculated using χ2 tests or t tests as appropriate.
†
A t test was used to calculate the comparison statistic.
‡
Statistically significant result (P < .05).
§
Median practice size was 1000 patients.
||
Enhanced fee-for-service includes physicians practising in a family health group or comprehensive care model; blended capitation includes physicians practising in family health teams or family health networks; and salaried includes physicians practising in community health centres or other salaried positions.