TABLE 1.
Patient characteristics.
| PAS | Comparator | Total | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy state | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.6502 |
| NSW | 159 (71.9%) | 113 (70.6%) | 272 (71.4%) | |
| WA | 40 (18.1%) | 25 (15.6%) | 65 (17.1%) | |
| Tasmania | 22 (10.0%) | 22 (13.8%) | 44 (11.5%) | |
| Pharmacy remoteness a | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.2886 |
| Highly Accessible | 143 (64.7%) | 110 (68.8%) | 253 (66.4%) | |
| Accessible | 59 (26.7%) | 29 (18.1%) | 88 (23.1%) | |
| Moderately Accessible, Remote, Very remote | 19 (8.6%) | 21 (13.1%) | 40 (10.5%) | |
| Age (years) | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.2896 |
| 18 to 25 | 10 (4.5%) | 14 (8.8%) | 24 (6.3%) | |
| 26 to 35 | 23 (10.4%) | 12 (7.5%) | 35 (9.2%) | |
| 36 to 45 | 45 (20.4%) | 13 (8.1%) | 58 (15.2%) | |
| 46 to 55 | 34 (15.4%) | 25 (15.6%) | 59 (15.5%) | |
| >55 | 109 (49.3%) | 96 (60.0%) | 205 (53.8%) | |
| Sex | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.6066 |
| Male | 65 (29.4%) | 51 (31.9%) | 116 (30.4%) | |
| Female | 156 (70.6%) | 109 (68.1%) | 265 (69.6%) | |
| Work situation | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.2090 |
| Full-time employed | 56 (25.3%) | 34 (21.3%) | 90 (23.6%) | |
| Home duties | 12 (5.4%) | 21 (13.1%) | 33 (8.7%) | |
| Part time or casually employed | 53 (24.0%) | 29 (18.1%) | 82 (21.5%) | |
| Retired/pensioner | 75 (33.9%) | 52 (32.5%) | 127 (33.3%) | |
| Unemployed or seeking work | 10 (4.5%) | 13 (8.1%) | 23 (6.0%) | |
| Full-time carer | 5 (2.3%) | 2 (1.3%) | 7 (1.8%) | |
| Other | 10 (4.5%) | 9 (5.6%) | 19 (5.0%) | |
| Level of education | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.9749 |
| No formal education | 3 (1.4%) | 4 (2.5%) | 7 (1.8%) | |
| Primary school | 7 (3.2%) | 4 (2.5%) | 11 (2.9%) | |
| High school | 101 (45.7%) | 81 (50.6%) | 182 (47.8%) | |
| Tertiary non-university (e.g., TAFE) | 61 (27.6%) | 35 (21.9%) | 96 (25.2%) | |
| University | 39 (17.6%) | 31 (19.4%) | 70 (18.4%) | |
| Postgraduate | 10 (4.5%) | 5 (3.1%) | 15 (3.9%) | |
| Age at asthma onset | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.7374 |
| 0–5 years | 49 (22.2%) | 41 (25.6%) | 90 (23.6%) | |
| 6–15 years | 52 (23.5%) | 28 (17.5%) | 80 (21.0%) | |
| 16–34 years | 57 (25.8%) | 40 (25.0%) | 97 (25.5%) | |
| 35–55 years | 36 (16.3%) | 31 (19.4%) | 67 (17.6%) | |
| >55 years | 27 (12.2%) | 20 (12.5%) | 47 (12.3%) | |
| Ever had a lung function test | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.0514 |
| No | 54 (24.4%) | 54 (33.8%) | 108 (28.3%) | |
| Yes | 167 (75.6%) | 106 (66.3%) | 273 (71.7%) | |
| Last lung function test | n = 167 | n = 106 | n = 273 | 0.4040 |
| <12 months ago, | 58 (34.7%) | 41 (38.7%) | 99 (36.3%) | |
| ≥12 months ago, | 109 (65.3%) | 65 (61.3%) | 174 (63.7%) | |
| Active smoker | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.3812 |
| No | 194 (87.8%) | 135 (84.4%) | 329 (86.4%) | |
| Yes | 27 (12.2%) | 25 (15.6%) | 52 (13.6%) | |
| History of hay fever | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.3121 |
| No | 60 (27.1%) | 49 (30.6%) | 109 (28.6%) | |
| Yes | 161 (72.9%) | 111 (69.4%) | 272 (71.4%) | |
| RCAT score b | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.2360 |
| Median (Q1; Q3) | 21.0 (16.0; 25.0) | 20.0 (16.0; 24.0) | 20.0 (16.0; 25.0) | |
| IAQLQ score c | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.3747 |
| Median (Q1; Q3) | 3.3 (2.0; 4.9) | 3.1 (1.5; 4.4) | 3.1 (1.8; 4.8) | |
| ACQ score d | n = 221 | n = 160 | n = 381 | 0.8105 |
| Median (Q1; Q3) | 2.3 (1.8; 3.0) | 2.2 (1.7; 2.8) | 2.2 (1.7; 3.0) |
Note: All baseline measures unless recorded otherwise.
Participating pharmacies were identified as either highly accessible (PhARIA Category 1), accessible (PhARIA Categories 2 and 3) or moderately accessible, remote, and very remote (PhARIA Categories 4, 5, and 6) (National Rural Health Alliance, 2011; The University of Adelaide Pharmacy ARIA PhARIA, 2019; The University of Adelaide. Hugo Centre for Migration and Population Research - Pharmacy ARIA PHARIA, 2019).
Rhinitis Control Assessment Test (RCAT) scores lie between 6 and 30. The lower the score, the more severe the allergic rhinitis; the higher the score, the less severe the allergic rhinitis. Patients scoring ≤21 are considered clinically “symptom uncontrolled”; those scoring >21 are considered “symptom controlled” (Meltzer et al., 2013).
The Impact of Asthma on Quality of Life Questionnaire (IAQLQ) scores lie between 0 and 10. Higher scores represent a greater impact of asthma on quality of life. (Marks et al., 1992).
Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) score lies between 0 (totally controlled) and 6 (extremely poorly controlled). A score of 1.5 or greater is considered an indication of poorly controlled asthma. (Juniper et al., 2006).