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Table 2 Summary of health-related outcomes

From: Impact of removing prescription co-payments on the use of costly health services: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial

Characteristic

Intervention

Control

Total

P value (chi-square or Fisher’s exact)

N

%

N

%

N

%

 

All

586

100

467

100

1053

100

 

Died during the study

19

3.2

13

2.8

32

3.0

0.67

Visited ED

204

34.8

183

39.2

387

36.8

0.14

Number of ED visits during the year

 0

382

65.2

284

60.8

666

63.2

 

 1

96

16.4

80

17.1

176

16.7

 

 2–3

64

10.9

60

12.8

124

11.8

 

 4–7

33

5.6

35

7.5

68

6.5

 

 8 + 

11

1.9

8

1.7

19

1.8

0.54

 Mean (SD)

0.98 (2.77)

1.05 (2.16)

1.01 (2.52)

 

Admitted to hospital

194

33.1

193

41.3

387

36.8

0.01

Number of hospital admissions

 0

392

66.9

274

58.7

666

63.2

 

 1

99

16.9

91

19.5

190

18.0

 

 2–3

62

10.6

66

14.1

128

12.2

 

 4–7

26

4.4

31

6.6

57

5.4

 

 8 + 

7

1.2

5

1.1

12

1.1

0.07

 Mean (SD)

0.77 (1.88)

0.97 (1.76)

0.86 (1.83)

 

Total LOS (days)

 0 days

446

76.1

330

70.7

776

73.7

 

 1–2 days

55

9.4

41

8.8

96

9.1

 

 3–7 days

36

6.1

46

9.9

82

7.8

 

 8–14 days

23

3.9

18

3.9

41

3.9

 

 15–30 days

19

3.2

19

4.1

38

3.6

 

 31 + days

7

1.2

13

2.8

20

1.9

0.09

 Mean (SD)

2.08 (6.86)

3.26 (9.78)

2.60 (8.30)

 

Admitted for Mental health conditions

9

1.5

16

3.4

25

2.4

0.13

Number of Mental Health admissions

 0

577

98.5

451

96.6

1028

97.6

 

 1

8

1.4

13

2.8

21

2.0

 

 2 + 

1

0.2

3

0.6

4

0.4

 

 Mean (SD)

0.02 (0.14)

0.04 (0.25)

0.02 (0.20)

 

Mental Health LOS (days)

 0 days

579

98.8

452

96.8

1031

97.9

 

 1–2 days

4

0.7

4

0.9

8

0.8

 

 3 + days

3

0.5

11

2.4

14

1.3

0.03

 Mean (SD)

0.11 (1.58)

0.21 (1.48)

0.15 (1.54)

 

Admitted for COPD

17

2.9

24

5.1

41

3.9

0.06

Number of COPD admissions

 0

569

97.1

443

94.9

1012

96.1

 

 1

14

2.4

19

4.1

33

3.1

 

 2 + 

3

0.5

5

1.1

8

0.8

0.17

 Mean (SD)

0.03 (0.21)

0.09 (0.69)

0.06 (0.48)

 

COPD LOS (days)

 0 days

573

97.8

445

95.3

1018

96.7

 

 1–2 days

3

0.5

9

1.9

12

1.1

 

 3 + days

10

1.7

13

2.8

23

2.2

0.049

 Mean (SD)

0.13 (1.04)

0.53 (4.92)

0.30 (3.37)

 

Admitted for Diabetes

8

1.4

12

2.6

20

1.9

0.16

Number of Diabetes admissions

 0

578

98.6

455

97.4

1033

98.1

 

 1

6

1.0

9

1.9

15

1.4

 

 2 + 

2

0.3

3

0.6

5

0.5

0.36

 Mean (SD)

0.03 (0.33)

0.04 (0.26)

0.03 (0.30)

 

Diabetes LOS (days)

 0 days

579

98.8

456

97.6

1035

98.3

 

 1–2 days

2

0.3

4

0.9

6

0.6

 

 3 + days

5

0.9

7

1.5

12

1.1

0.26

 Mean (SD)

0.15 (2.05)

0.18 (1.78)

0.16 (1.94)