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Table 9 Characteristics of identified opinion leaders (odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals)
| Hypothesis | Generic sociometric | Condition-specific sociometric | Generic self-designating | Condition-specific self-designating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social network related | ||||
| OLs more likely to belong to professional groups | 5.27 (2.38 – 11.65)**** | 3.90 (1.63 – 9.33)** | 1.56 (1.13 – 2.17)** | 1.13 (0.79 – 1.58) |
| OLs more likely to have attended local medical school | 1.32 (0.62 – 2.82) | 0.41(0.08 – 0.90)*** | 1.02 (0.65 – 1.54) | 0.87 (0.55 – 1.38) |
| Experience related | ||||
| OLs more likely to have been qualified longer | 1.90 (1.10 – 3.28)** | 1.18 (0.64 – 2.20) | 0.99 (0.72 – 1.36) | 1.20 (0.85 – 1.69) |
| OLs more likely to be in senior posts | 6.69 (2.33 – 19.20) *** | 5.72 (1.69 – 19.34)*** | 2.02 (1.23 – 3.21)*** | 1.35 (0.85 – 2.15) |
| Qualifications | ||||
| OLs more likely to have qualifications | 1.05 (0.6 3 – 1.75) | 1.27 (0.68 – 2.36) | 1.80 (1.33 – 2.44)*** | 0.96 (0.68 – 1.36) |
| Other | ||||
| OLs more likely to spend time teaching | 0.88 (0.16 – 4.74) | 1.35 (0.31 – 5.98) | .93 (0.79 – 4.67) | 0.92 (0.34 – 2.50) |
| OLs more likely to spend time on research | 2.30 (0.49 – 10.92) | 1.82 (0.41 – 8.11) | 2.14 (0.86 – 5.34) | 1.10 (0.40 – 3.04) |
| Keeping up to date score | ||||
| Mean Opinion Leader Score | 3.57 | 3.47 | 3.48 | 3.40 |
| Mean score of other respondents | 3.29 | 3.30 | 3.25 | 3.27 |
| Mean difference in up-to-date score | 0.28 | 0.17 | 0.23 | 0.13 |
| 95% CI and significance+ | (0.14 – 0.43)** | (-0.09 – 0.36) | (0.14 – 0.32)*** | (0.03 – 0.24)* |
| Use of clinical effectiveness materials score | ||||
| Mean Opinion Leader Score | 2.58 | 2.37 | 2.53 | 2.58 |
| Mean score of other respondents | 2.38 | 2.42 | 2.36 | 2.38 |
| Mean difference in up-to-date score | 0.3 | -0.05 | 0.17 | 0.20 |
| 95% CI and significance+ | (-0.02 – 0.41) | (-0.33 – 0.21) | (0.04 – 0.30)* | (0.04 – 0.30)* |
