Table 3.
Characteristics by Referral Status in Atopic Dermatitis Consultations (n = 381,180)
| Referral for Atopic Dermatitis | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Factor Group | Variable | Class | No | Yes | P value |
| Patient factors | Patient age group | 0–1 years | 655 (22%) | 32 (15%) | 0.12 |
| 2–12 years | 834 (28%) | 67 (31%) | |||
| 13–24 years | 542 (18%) | 49 (23%) | |||
| 25–44 years | 541 (18%) | 38 (18%) | |||
| 45+ years | 441 (15%) | 30 (14%) | |||
| Patient gender | Male | 1,318 (44%) | 93 (43%) | 0.89 | |
| Female | 1,677 (56%) | 121 (57%) | |||
| NESB | No | 2,589 (90%) | 187 (88%) | 0.40 | |
| Yes | 290 (10%) | 25 (12%) | |||
| Patient/practice status | Existing patient | 1,009 (34%) | 88 (40%) | 0.12 | |
| New to registrar | 1,722 (57%) | 111 (51%) | |||
| New to practice | 272 (9%) | 20 (9%) | |||
| Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander | No | 2,826 (99%) | 210 (99.5%) | 0.52 | |
| Yes | 38 (1%) | 1 (0.5%) | |||
| Registrar factors | Registrar gender | Male | 1,131 (37%) | 69 (31%) | 0.078 |
| Female | 1,932 (63%) | 153 (69%) | |||
| Registrar full-time or part-time | Part-time | 733 (25%) | 57 (27%) | 0.48 | |
| Full-time | 2,249 (75%) | 156 (73%) | |||
| Term | Term 1 | 1,194 (39%) | 94 (42%) | 0.39 | |
| Term 2 | 1,122 (37%) | 71 (32%) | |||
| Term 3 | 747 (24%) | 57 (26%) | |||
| Worked at practice previously | No | 2,383 (79%) | 180 (82%) | 0.33 | |
| Yes | 631 (21%) | 40 (18%) | |||
| Qualified as doctor in Australia | No | 503 (16%) | 29 (13%) | 0.18 | |
| Yes | 2,547 (84%) | 192 (87%) | |||
| Registrar age | Mean (SD) | 32 (6) | 32 (6) | 0.74 | |
| Practice factors | Practice size | Small | 1,069 (36%) | 76 (36%) | 0.90 |
| Large | 1,906 (64%) | 138 (64%) | |||
| Practice routinely bulk bills | No | 2,132 (71%) | 151 (69%) | 0.49 | |
| Yes | 879 (29%) | 69 (31%) | |||
| Rurality | Major city | 2,075 (69%) | 164 (76%) | 0.090 | |
| Inner regional | 685 (23%) | 41 (19%) | |||
| Outer regional remote | 262 (9%) | 12 (6%) | |||
| Region | Region 1 | 518 (17%) | 28 (13%) | 0.37 | |
| Region 2 | 139 (5%) | 14 (6%) | |||
| Region 3 | 374 (12%) | 22 (10%) | |||
| Region 4 | 1,300 (42%) | 97 (44%) | |||
| Region 5 | 28 (0.9%) | 3 (1%) | |||
| Region 6 | 506 (17%) | 44 (20%) | |||
| Region 7 | 198 (6%) | 14 (6%) | |||
| SEIFA-IRSD | Mean (SD) | 6 (3) | 6 (3) | 0.098 | |
| Consultation factors | New problem seen | No | 1,791 (65%) | 166 (85%) | <0.001 |
| Yes | 959 (35%) | 30 (15%) | |||
| Sought help any source | None | 2,367 (77%) | 138 (62%) | <0.001 | |
| Supervisor | 274 (9%) | 45 (20%) | |||
| Other sources | 422 (14%) | 39 (18%) | |||
| Pathology ordered | No | 3,004 (98%) | 211 (95%) | 0.004 | |
| Yes | 59 (2%) | 11 (5%) | |||
| Follow-up ordered | No | 1,963 (64%) | 131 (59%) | 0.13 | |
| Yes | 1,100 (36%) | 91 (41%) | |||
| Learning goals generated | No | 2,339 (82%) | 128 (61%) | <0.001 | |
| Yes | 523 (18%) | 81 (39%) | |||
| Consultation duration | Mean (SD) | 17 (8) | 20 (9) | <0.001 | |
| Number of problems | Mean (SD) | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | <0.001 | |
NESB = Non-English speaking background; SEIFA-IRSD = socio-economic index for areas – index of relative socioeconomic disadvantage; SD = standard deviation.