Characteristics of participants by site including information on the symptoms per cent (n)
| Overall (N=377) | ED (N=81) | General practice (N=162) | Pharmacy (N=134) | p Value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant demographics | |||||
| Age | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 48.3 (17.8) | 42.2 (17.9) | 48.3 (17.6) | 51.9 (17.1) | 0.001† |
| Missing | (7) | (4) | (2) | (1) | |
| Gender | |||||
| Male | 40.6 (151) | 44.9 (35) | 40.4 (65) | 38.3 (51) | 0.646‡ |
| Female | 59.4 (221) | 55.1 (43) | 59.6 (96) | 61.7 (82) | |
| Missing | (5) | (3) | (1) | (1) | |
| Employment | |||||
| Employed full-time | 60.5 (225) | 66.7 (52) | 64.6 (104) | 51.9 (69) | 0.006‡ |
| Retired | 22.0 (82) | 10.3 (8) | 23.6 (38) | 27.1 (36) | |
| Other (including student, unemployed) | 17.5 (65) | 23.1 (18) | 11.8 (19) | 21.1 (28) | |
| Missing | (5) | (3) | (1) | (1) | |
| Registered MAS§ | |||||
| Yes | 10.2 (38) | 10.4 (8) | 6.2 (10) | 15.0 (20) | 0.079‡ |
| No | 81.1 (301) | 84.4 (65) | 82.6 (133) | 77.4 (103) | |
| Do not know | 8.6 (32) | 5.2 (4) | 11.2 (18) | 7.5 (10) | |
| Missing | (6) | (4) | (1) | (1) | |
| Marital Status | |||||
| Single | 24.2 (90) | 37.2 (29) | 22.4 (36) | 18.8 (25) | 0.012‡ |
| Married/living with partner | 61.6 (229) | 53.8 (42) | 65.2 (105) | 61.7 (82) | |
| Divorced/separated/widowed | 14.2 (53) | 9.0 (7) | 12.4 (20) | 19.5 (26) | |
| Missing | (5) | (3) | (1) | (1) | |
| Live alone | |||||
| Yes | 20.3 (75) | 13.2 (10) | 18.8 (30) | 26.3 (35) | 0.061‡ |
| No | 79.7 (294) | 86.8 (66) | 81.2 (130) | 73.7 (98) | |
| Missing | (8) | (5) | (2) | (1) | |
| Registered with GP in the UK | |||||
| Yes | 97.8 (364) | 98.7 (77) | 98.1 (158) | 97.0 (129) | – |
| No | 2.2 (8) | 1.3 (1) | 1.9 (3) | 3.0 (4) | |
| Missing | (5) | (3) | (1) | (1) | |
| Nationality | |||||
| British | 94.9 (351) | 93.6 (73) | 96.2 (153) | 94.0 (125) | – |
| Other EU | 3.0 (11) | 2.6 (2) | 3.1 (5) | 3.0 (4) | |
| Non-EU | 2.2 (8) | 3.8 (3) | 0.6 (1) | 3.0 (4) | |
| Missing | (7) | (3) | (3) | (1) | |
| Norfolk only | (N=163) | (N=35) | (N=71) | (N=57) | |
| Pay for prescriptions | |||||
| Yes | 51.2 (82) | 57.6 (19) | 50.0 (35) | 49.1 (28) | 0.713‡ |
| No | 48.8 (78) | 42.4 (14) | 50.0 (35) | 50.9 (29) | |
| Do not know/missing* | (3) | (2) | (1) | (0) | |
| Ailment characteristics | |||||
| Presenting Symptoms | |||||
| Musculoskeletal aches and pains | 46.4 (175) | 81.5 (66) | 36.4 (59) | 37.3 (50) | <0.001‡ |
| Eye-related | 11.4 (43) | 14.8 (12) | 11.1 (18) | 9.7 (13) | |
| Stomach upset | 4.8 (18) | 1.2 (1) | 6.2 (10) | 5.2 (7) | |
| Upper respiratory tract | 28.9 (109) | 0 (0) | 34.0 (55) | 40.3 (54) | |
| Multiple symptoms | 8.5 (32) | 2.5 (2) | 12.3 (20) | 7.5 (10) | |
| First time had symptoms | |||||
| Yes | 39.2 (147) | 64.2 (52) | 38.8 (62) | 24.6 (33) | <0.001‡ |
| No | 60.8 (230) | 35.8 (29) | 61.3 (98) | 75.4 (101) | |
| Missing | (2) | (0) | (2) | (0) | |
| How serious are the symptoms? | |||||
| Not serious at all | 37.0 (136) | 16.9 (13) | 27.5 (43) | 60.2 (80) | <0.001‡ |
| Somewhat serious | 54.1 (199) | 75.3 (58) | 61.4 (97) | 33.1 (44) | |
| Very serious | 9.0 (33) | 7.8 (6) | 11.4 (18) | 6.8 (9) | |
| Missing | (9) | (4) | (4) | (1) | |
| How soon did you need to visit? | |||||
| Within 24 h | 48.1 (178) | 67.5 (52) | 47.2 (76) | 37.9 (50) | <0.001‡ |
| 24 h or more | 51.9 (192) | 32.5 (25) | 52.8 (85) | 62.1 (82) | |
| Missing | (7) | (4) | (1) | (2) | |
| Duration of symptoms | |||||
| Median (IQR) in days | 7 (2–35) | 1.0 (0.5–7.0) | 14 (3–42) | 7 (2–80) | <0.001¶ |
| Baseline EQ-VAS | (n=370) | (n=76) | (n=160) | (n=134) | 0.455† |
| Mean (SD) | 68.0 (19.6) | 68.9 (22.4) | 66.6 (18.9) | 69.3 (18.8) | |
*Tests exclude missing data.
†ANOVA.
‡Pearson χ2.
§National MAS (Scotland).
¶Kruskal-Wallis test.
ANOVA, analysis of variance; ED, emergency department; EU, European Union; GP, general practitioner; MAS, Minor Ailment Scheme; VAS, visual analogue scale.