| No. (%) of physicians† | ||
|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | Validation sample n = 118 | Ontario GP/FPs n = 12 327 |
| Age,‡ yr, mean ± SD | 47.7 ± 10.2 | 50.7 ± 12.4 |
| Sex | ||
| Female | 65 (55.1) | 5 027 (40.8) |
| Male | 52 (44.1) | 7 300 (59.2) |
| Missing data | ≤ 5 | 0 (0.0) |
| Practice location‡ | ||
| Rural | 18 (15.3) | 10 943 (88.8) |
| Urban | 88 (74.6) | 1 214 (9.8) |
| Missing data | 12 (10.2) | 170 (1.4) |
| Practice location by health region‡ | ||
| Erie St. Clair | ≤ 5 | 468 (3.8) |
| South West | 8 (6.8) | 862 (7.0) |
| Waterloo Wellington | ≤ 5 | 636 (5.2) |
| Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant | 16 (13.6) | 1 147 (9.3) |
| Central West | ≤ 5 | 559 (4.5) |
| Mississauga Halton | ≤ 5 | 935 (7.6) |
| Toronto Central | 9 (7.6) | 1 623 (13.2) |
| Central | ≤ 5 | 1 493 (12.1) |
| Central East | 12 (10.2) | 1 161 (9.4) |
| South East | 6 (5.1) | 538 (4.4) |
| Champlain | 25 (21.2) | 1 463 (11.9) |
| North Simcoe Muskoka | ≤ 5 | 418 (3.4) |
| North East | 6 (5.1) | 551 (4.5) |
| North West | ≤ 5 | 303 (2.5) |
| Missing data | 12 (10.2) | 170 (1.4) |
| Full-time equivalent§ | ||
| ≥ 1.0 | 95 (80.5) | 7 540 (61.2) |
| < 1.0 | 19 (16.1) | 4 775 (38.7) |
| Missing data | ≤ 5 | 12 (0.1) |
| % of claims that were for palliative care¶ | 12.5 | 1.3 |
Note: GP/FP = general practitioner/family physician, SD = standard deviation. *Validation sample = physicians who participated in survey and self-identified as practising mostly palliative care. †Unless stated otherwise. ‡Age and practice location as of Mar. 31, 2011. §Full-time equivalent status is based on self-reports; all other variables are based on administrative data. ¶During calendar years 2008–2011.