Table 2. Associations of Sociodemographic Variables With Any Correct Diagnosis and Dichotomized Triage Before and After Internet Search.
| Variable | Correct diagnosis | Correct triage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marginal effect size (95% CI)a | P value | Marginal effect size (95% CI)a | P value | |
| Age, yb | ||||
| <30 | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| 30-39 | 1.0 (−3.0 to 5.1) | .63 | 0.5 (−3.1 to 4.0) | .80 |
| 40-49 | 5.1 (0.8 to 9.4) | .02 | 2.9 (−0.8 to 6.7) | .13 |
| 50-59 | 6.6 (1.8 to 11.3) | .006 | 5.9 (1.8 to 10.0) | .005 |
| 60-69 | 4.1 (−1.5 to 9.7) | .15 | 2.3 (−2.7 to 7.3) | .36 |
| ≥70 | 5.3 (−1.7 to 12.3) | .14 | 3.5 (−2.4 to 9.5) | .25 |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| Male | −9.4 (−12.0 to −6.8) | <.001 | −4.5 (−6.8 to −2.3) | <.001 |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||
| Non-Hispanic White | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| Non-Hispanic Black | −9.6 (−14.4 to −4.9) | <.001 | −9.7 (−14.2 to −5.2) | <.001 |
| Hispanic | −6.4 (−11.8 to −0.9) | .02 | −2.9 (−7.4 to 1.6) | .21 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian | −14.7 (−20.0 to −9.3) | <.001 | −2.0 (−6.7 to 2.7) | .41 |
| Non-Hispanic other or multiple | 0.4 (−7.2 to 7.9) | .93 | −0.2 (−6.6 to 6.2) | .94 |
| Census region | ||||
| Northeast | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| Midwest | 0.5 (−3.4 to 4.3) | .82 | −0.5 (−4.0 to 3.0) | .78 |
| South | 0.7 (−2.9 to 4.2) | .72 | 1.2 (−2.0 to 4.3) | .47 |
| West | −1.1 (−5.0 to 2.8) | .58 | −3.0 (−6.5 to 0.5) | .09 |
| Partner status | ||||
| Married or partnered | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| Not married or partnered | 0.4 (−2.4 to 3.2) | .78 | 0.5 (−2.0 to 2.9) | .72 |
| Educational level | ||||
| <High school diploma | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| High school diploma or GED certificate | 1.0 (−8.1 to 10.1) | .83 | 3.2 (−5.0 to 11.4) | .45 |
| Some college | 4.9 (−4.1 to 14.0) | .28 | 6.2 (−1.9 to 14.3) | .14 |
| Bachelor's degree | 5.5 (−3.8 to 14.7) | .25 | 6.2 (−2.1 to 14.5) | .14 |
| >Bachelor's degree | 7.3 (−2.4 to 16.9) | .14 | 6.9 (−1.8 to 15.6) | .12 |
| Health insurance coverage | ||||
| Uninsured | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| Medicare | −9.1 (−15.0 to −3.2) | .003 | −3.6 (−8.7 to 1.5) | .17 |
| Medicaid | −3.0 (−8.9 to 2.9) | .32 | −4.4 (−9.6 to 0.7) | .09 |
| Both Medicare and Medicaid | −9.9 (−18.2 to −1.5) | .02 | −7.5 (−15.0 to −0.1) | .048 |
| Private or employer-based | −0.1 (−5.3 to 5.0) | .96 | 1.0 (−3.4 to 5.3) | .66 |
| Not sure | −6.2 (−14.0 to 1.6) | .12 | −7.4 (−14.3 to −0.4) | .04 |
| Perceived health status | ||||
| Excellent | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| Very good | 7.1 (3.1 to 11.2) | .001 | 1.0 (−2.6 to 4.6) | .58 |
| Good | 8.9 (4.6 to 13.2) | <.001 | 5.0 (1.2 to 8.8) | .01 |
| Fair | 12.5 (6.8 to 18.2) | <.001 | −0.3 (−5.4 to 4.9) | .92 |
| Poor | 16.3 (6.9 to 25.6) | .001 | −4.0 (−12.9 to 4.9) | .38 |
| Employed | ||||
| Yes | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| Retired | 0.9 (−3.8 to 5.6) | .72 | 1.4 (−2.8 to 5.6) | .51 |
| Unemployed | 2.6 (−0.9 to 6.1) | .14 | 2.4 (−0.6 to 5.3) | .12 |
| Family income, US $ | ||||
| <30 000 | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| 30 000-49 999 | 2.7 (−1.2 to 6.5) | .18 | −1.3 (−4.7 to 2.0) | .44 |
| 50 000-79 999 | 3.1 (−0.8 to 7.1) | .12 | −1.6 (−5.0 to 1.8) | .37 |
| 80 000-99 999 | 0.9 (−4.2 to 5.9) | .73 | 1.0 (−3.3 to 5.2) | .66 |
| 100 000-149 999 | 2.1 (−2.8 to 7.0) | .39 | −2.6 (−7.0 to 1.7) | .24 |
| 150 000-199 999 | 2.6 (−4.5 to 9.8) | .48 | 0.9 (−5.3 to 7.2) | .77 |
| ≥200 000 | 3.9 (−4.3 to 12.1) | .35 | 4.9 (−2.0 to 11.7) | .16 |
| Chronic disease, No. | ||||
| 0 | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| 1 | 0.9 (−2.5 to 4.3) | .62 | 1.4 (−1.6 to 4.3) | .36 |
| 2 | 4.0 (−0.4 to 8.5) | .08 | 1.0 (−2.9 to 5.0) | .61 |
| >2 | 6.8 (1.5 to 12.1) | .01 | 1.2 (−3.5 to 6.0) | .62 |
| Not sure | 0.0 (−6.7 to 6.7) | .99 | −3.4 (−9.5 to 2.7) | .28 |
| Has primary care | ||||
| Yes | 1 [Reference] | 1 [Reference] | ||
| No | −1.8 (−5.5 to 1.9) | .35 | −2.6 (−5.9 to 0.8) | .13 |
| Unsure | −4.9 (−12.2 to 2.4) | .19 | 2.8 (−3.0 to 8.7) | .34 |
| Visits in past 6 mos | ||||
| Physician visit | 0.1 (−0.5 to 0.7) | .82 | 0.1 (−0.4 to 0.7) | .60 |
| ED visit | −0.9 (−2.8 to 1.0) | .34 | −0.5 (−2.1 to 1.1) | .53 |
| Hospital admissions in past 6 mos | −6.5 (−9.1 to −3.9) | <.001 | −2.5 (−4.2 to −0.8) | .005 |
| Global health care rating in past 6 mos, 0-10 points | 0.5 (−0.2 to 1.2) | .19 | −0.2 (−0.8 to 0.4) | .53 |
Abbreviations: ED, emergency department; GED, general educational development.
a
A marginal effect signifies that between 1 woman and 1 man who were otherwise similar in characteristics, for example, the man’s probability of a correct diagnosis would be 9.4 percentage points lower than the woman’s (the referent). For corresponding adjusted odds ratios, see eTable 5 in the Supplement.
b
Age cutoffs were chosen to protect the identity at the fringes of age and to distinguish between older and younger adults, as they may vary in sophistication in using the internet and will likely vary in frequency of contact with the health system.