Caller characteristics of HEiDi referrals (n = 7687)
| Characteristic | No. (%)* |
|---|---|
| Sex, female | 4814 (62.9) |
| Missing or unknown | 37 |
| Age group, yr | |
| < 1 | 544 (7.1) |
| 1–4 | 721 (9.4) |
| 5–19 | 887 (11.5) |
| 20–39 | 2603 (33.9) |
| 40–64 | 1836 (23.9) |
| > 64 | 1090 (14.2) |
| Missing or unknown | 2 |
| Health authority | |
| Fraser | 2688 (35.9) |
| Interior | 1172 (15.6) |
| Northern | 435 (5.8) |
| Vancouver Coastal | 1648 (22.0) |
| Vancouver Island | 1549 (20.7) |
| Missing or unknown | 195 |
| Health concern category | |
| Gastroenterology (digestive) | 1275 (16.6) |
| Respiratory | 877 (11.4) |
| Dermatology (skin, hair, nails) | 874 (11.4) |
| Musculoskeletal (bone, muscle, joint) | 813 (10.6) |
| Caller’s health concern related to COVID-19 | 1169 (39.3)† |
| Missing or unknown | 4710 |
| Caller has a usual care provider | 1228 (81.3)‡ |
| Missing | 133 |
| No follow-up | 6043 |
Note: HEiDi = HealthLink BC Emergency iDoctor-in-assistance.
↵* Percentages were calculated after removing missing, unknown or not applicable data from the denominator.
↵† Only a subset of 2977 HEiDi calls had available data on whether they were related to COVID-19.
↵‡ Only callers receiving a subsequent follow-up call from a virtual physician are asked if they have a usual care provider; 1511 callers received a follow-up call and answered this question.