Table 5

Frequency distributions (weighted percentages) of health-care and prescription-medication use, satisfaction with care and with providers, and unmet health-care needs, by country and pattern of health-care use in the past 12 months: Joint Canada/US Survey of Health, 2002–03*


United States
 Canada
Variable
 Category
 GP only (n = 3565)
 GP+DC (n = 511)
 DC only (n = 84)
 GP only (n = 2434)
 GP+DC (n = 397)
 DC only (n = 51)
Hospitalization
 1+ in past year
 11.7
 11.3
 4.6
 10.7
 8.1
 5.3
No. of prescriptions
 1+ in past month
 67.2
 72.2
 34.1
 64.2
 63.3
 18.4
No. of different prescription medications
 <3 in past 2 days
 42.2
 50.0
 31.7
 45.4
 48.1
 17.8

3–5 in past 2 days
 17.5
 17.9
 1.8
 14.6
 11.0
 0.7

6+ in past 2 days
 7.2
 4.3
 0.6
 4.1
 3.4
 0.0
Health insurance
 Insured, past year
 90.8
 92.1
 72.9
 NA
 NA
 NA
Unmet needs
 Any in past year
 12.2
 12.7
 11.1
 11.0
 11.8
 10.3
Regular doctor
 Yes in past year
 89.8
 90.8
 46.1
 91.4
 92.5
 65.0
Health care quality (past 12 months)
 Excellent
 40.4
 42.6
 36.2
 39.1
 35.6
 19.6

Good
 45.7
 43.2
 51.5
 45.9
 47.2
 54.5

Fair or poor
 11.3
 11.1
 11.0
 13.8
 16.0
 21.9
Health care satisfaction (past 12 months)
 Very satisfied
 52.0
 53.2
 36.8
 43.4
 43.1
 27.2

Somewhat satisfied
 35.5
 34.9
 41.9
 42.7
 40.4
 42.8

Less than satisfied
 9.7
 8.6
 20.0
 12.3
 14.7
 26.0
Quality of MD care† (past 12 months)
 Excellent
 56.7
 58.4
 71.5
 59.7
 52.5
 47.8

Good
 32.7
 33.9
 19.1
 33.0
 35.9
 38.2

Fair or poor
 7.1
 5.0
 7.8
 5.8
 10.9
 14.0
Satisfaction of MD† care (past 12 months)
 Very satisfied
 65.5
 70.2
 59.0
 65.9
 61.2
 56.2

Somewhat satisfied
 26.2
 22.1
 35.0
 27.0
 29.2
 29.9

Less than satisfied
 4.7
 4.2
 4.4
 5.3
 8.7
 14.0
Chiropractic visits (past 12 months)
 0
 100
 0
 0
 100
 0
 0

1
20.6
 23.2
13.8
 21.6

2–5
34.3
 38.2
33.8
 35.7

6–10
16.8
 10.2
20.9
 16.9

11–20
17.3
 22.2
19.3
 20.2

21–30
5.3
 0
7.3
 3.2

31+
5.8
 6.2
4.8
 2.5

Mean, median
8.36, 4
 7.42, 3
9.01, 5
 7.29, 3
General practitioner or family doctor visits (past 12 months)
 0
 0
 0
 100
 0
 0
 100

1
 30.0
 26.3
27.9
 22.6

2–5
 53.7
 58.6
52.8
 56.7

6–10
 9.6
 9.7
9.8
 10.2

11–20
 5.3
 3.1
8.0
 9.2

21–30
 0.8
 1.3
0.8
 1.2

31+
 0.7
 1.0
0.8
 0.2

Mean, median
 3.66, 2
 3.73, 2
4.08, 2
 4.21, 3
All health-care visits (past 12 months)
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0

1
 4.8
 0
 4.7
 4.6
 0
 7.1

2–5
 43.4
 10.6
 38.0
 45.1
 8.1
 34.8

6–10
 26.7
 24.6
 21.2
 26.3
 23.0
 18.0

11–20
 16.4
 30.4
 19.3
 15.7
 33.3
 25.5

21–30
 4.5
 16.2
 5.9
 4.8
 18.6
 10.1

31+
 4.2
 18.3
 10.8
 3.4
 17.0
 4.6

Mean, median
 9.02, 6
 18.84, 15
 11.56, 7
 8.54, 6
 19.04, 15
 10.39, 6

* Weighted percentages may not sum to 100 because of missing data or exclusion of certain categories; percentages weighted to account for age, sex, region (Canada only), and race/ethnicity (U.S. only); 3565, 511, and 84 represent 138,802,519, 20,060,412, and 3,453,164 adults, respectively, in the U.S.; 2434, 397, and 51 represent 16,555,719, 2,723,870, and 381,147 adults, respectively, in Canada.

†Most recent visit among respondents reporting at least one visit to a physician in the past 12 months.

GP = general practitioner or family doctor; DC = Doctor of Chiropractic; NA = not applicable.

Hurwitz and Chiang BMC Health Services Research 2006 6:49   doi:10.1186/1472-6963-6-49