Table 1 Characteristics of the 76 physicians in the intervention and control groups, as well as the baseline characteristics of all patients under their care
Control N = 38 | Intervention N = 38 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Demographics | N | % | N | % |
Sex | ||||
Female | 17 | 44.7 | 14 | 36.8 |
Male | 21 | 55.3 | 24 | 63.2 |
Language | ||||
English | 11 | 28.9 | 9 | 23.7 |
French | 27 | 71.1 | 29 | 76.3 |
Mean | SD | Mean | SD | |
Years in practice | 24.9 | 8.1 | 27.5 | 8.3 |
Practice characteristics | Mean | SD | Mean | SD |
Annual practice size | 1245.4 | 581.6 | 1328.8 | 719.9 |
Number of patients with hypertensionb | 152.7 | 115.2 | 187.6 | 145.2 |
Number of patients/clinic day | 14.9 | 6.1 | 15.3 | 5.9 |
Mean household income (CAD$) | 52,961 | 13,582 | 53,308 | 14,084 |
All patients with hypertensionb | Mean | SD | Mean | SD |
Mean proportion by therapeutic class | ||||
Calcium channel blockers | 21.7 | 10.8 | 19.1 | 9.1 |
Diuretics | 19.9 | 10.1 | 15.6 | 9.9 |
Beta blockers | 15.2 | 7.4 | 14.1 | 7.3 |
ACE inhibitors | 14.3 | 8.3 | 11.9 | 7.3 |
Angiotensin II antagonists | 12.4 | 6.9 | 13.8 | 7.6 |
Angiotensin II antagonist + diuretic | 12.1 | 8.7 | 14.7 | 7.7 |
Angiotensin-converting enzyme | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.3 |
Inhibitor + diuretic | 2.9 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.4 |
Othera | ||||
Annual cost anti-hypertensive treatment | ||||
Total annual cost (CAD $) | 532.2 | 423.4 | 546.4 | 428.3 |
Annual co-payment cost (CAD $) | 370.9 | 317.6 | 385.7 | 321.8 |