Characteristics of walk-in patients compared with the Ontario population, Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2019
| Characteristic | Walk-in patients n = 562 781 | Ontario population n = 14 388 566 | Standardized mean difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yr, mean ± SD | 35.8 ± 21.4 | 41.1 ± 23.0 | 0.24 |
| Age, yr, no. (%) | |||
| < 18 | 114 347 (20.3) | 2 761 255 (19.2) | 0.03 |
| 18–29 | 133 613 (23.7) | 2 181 897 (15.2) | 0.22 |
| 30–44 | 123 606 (22.0) | 2 903 298 (20.2) | 0.04 |
| 45–64 | 129 055 (22.9) | 4 011 605 (27.9) | 0.11 |
| 65–74 | 37 572 (6.7) | 1 431 818 (10.0) | 0.12 |
| ≥ 75 | 24 588 (4.4) | 1 098 693 (7.6) | 0.14 |
| Sex, female, no. (%) | 318 211 (56.5) | 7 330 105 (50.9) | 0.11 |
| Neighbourhood income quintile, no. (%) | |||
| Q1 (lowest) | 114 911 (20.4) | 2 827 594 (19.7) | 0.02 |
| Q2 | 113 471 (20.2) | 2 823 987 (19.6) | 0.01 |
| Q3 | 112 402 (20.0) | 2 897 691 (20.1) | 0 |
| Q4 | 112 670 (20.0) | 2 902 771 (20.2) | 0 |
| Q5 (highest) | 108 366 (19.3) | 2 912 107 (20.2) | 0.02 |
| Missing | 961 (0.2) | 24 416 (0.2) | 0 |
| Recent provincial health insurance registrant,* no. (%) | 42 520 (7.6) | 1 259 553 (8.8) | 0.04 |
| Missing | 75 330 (13.4) | 1 641 249 (11.4) | 0.06 |
| Urban or rural residence, no. (%) | |||
| Large urban | 420 038 (74.6) | 10 485 665 (72.9) | 0.04 |
| Small urban | 116 465 (20.7) | 2 745 665 (19.1) | 0.04 |
| Rural | 22 196 (3.9) | 1 014 962 (7.1) | 0.14 |
| Missing | 4,082 (0.7) | 142 274 (1.0) | 0.03 |
| Comorbidity count,† no. (%) | |||
| Low (0–5) | 296 041 (52.6) | 9 237 848 (64.2) | 0.24 |
| Moderate (6–9) | 186 632 (33.2) | 3 739 043 (26.0) | 0.16 |
| High (≥ 10) | 80 108 (14.2) | 1 411 675 (9.8) | 0.14 |
| Health care utilization band,† no. (%) | |||
| Low (0–2) | 147 254 (26.2) | 5 102 921 (35.5) | 0.20 |
| Moderate (3) | 290 468 (51.6) | 6 607 408 (45.9) | 0.11 |
| High (4–5) | 125 059 (22.2) | 2 678 237 (18.6) | 0.09 |
| Primary care physician attachment, no. (%) | |||
| Formally enrolled | 393 922 (70.0) | 10 806 044 (75.1) | 0.11 |
| Virtually attached | 74 845 (13.3) | 1 412 289 (9.8) | 0.11 |
| No primary care visits | 94 014 (16.7) | 2 170 233 (15.1) | 0.04 |
| Total family physician visits in previous 2 years | |||
| Mean ± SD | 7.7 ± 8.0 | 5.8 ± 6.9 | 0.26 |
| Median (IQR) | 6.0 (3.0–10.0) | 4.0 (1.0–8.0) | 0.36 |
| Total specialist visits in previous year | |||
| Mean ± SD | 1.7 ± 3.6 | 1.7 ± 3.6 | 0.02 |
| Median (IQR) | 0.0 (0.0–2.0) | 0.0 (0.0–2.0) | 0.04 |
| ≥ 1 visit with enrolling family physician in previous year, no. (%) | 265 468 (47.2) | 7 133 688 (49.6) | 0.05 |
| Missing (patient does not have an enrolling family physician) | 168 859 (30.0) | 3 582 522 (24.9) | 0.11 |
| Proportion of patients with ≥ 1 emergency department visit in prior year, no. (%) | 168 935 (30.0) | 3 284 803 (22.8) | 0.16 |
| Continuity of care‡ (%), median (IQR) | 50.0 (30.0–80.0) | 75.0 (50.0–100.0) | 0.51 |
| Missing (< 2 visits made) | 80 662 (14.3) | 3 887 670 (27.0) | 0.32 |
Note: IQR = interquartile range, SD = standard deviation.
↵* Recent provincial health insurance registration is a proxy for recent immigration to the province.
↵† Measured over the previous 2 years.
↵‡ Continuity of care was measured as the percentage of primary care visits for the previous 2 years that occurred with their usual family physician. (31)
A standardized difference of ≥ 10% (0.1) was considered to indicate a meaningful difference.