Is telemonitoring an option against shortage of physicians in rural regions? attitude towards telemedical devices in the North Rhine-Westphalian health survey, Germany

Table 1 Characteristics of the survey population

characteristics	number (n)	SD, range
mean age *	1999	48.8 (17.03, 18-93)
		in percent (%)
females	1011	50.4
lives with family/partner	1555	77.8
school leaving certificate - Abitur (German:qualification for university)	658	32.8
ISCED**
- low education (ISCED 1-2)	135	6.8
- medium education (ISCED3A, 3B, 4A)	1223	61.2
- high education (ISCED 5,6)	489	24.5
- still student/trainee	149	7.5
migration background	445	22.2
self-rated health status "good" to "very good"	1508	75.2
diagnosed with diabetes	40	2.0
diagnosed with hypertension	512	25.5
diagnosed with both, diabetes and hypertension	86	4.3

* age is unknown for 7 participants, SD = standard deviation** education according to ISCED-1997: International Standard Classification of Education 1997 [19]