Use of exercise tests in primary care: importance for referral decisions and possible bias in the decision process; a prospective observational study

Table 4 Adjusted ORs for referral to cardiologist according to patient characteristics in women and men

Patient characteristic	Women (n = 427)		Men (n = 438)
Patient characteristic	OR (95% CI)	P	OR (95% CI)	P
Positive/inconclusive exercise test	11.07 (5.11-23.95)	<0.001	13.60 (6.77-27.33)	<0.001
Exertional chest pain	2.40 (1.03-5.63)	0.043	3.22 (1.52-6.85)	0.002
Pathologic ST-T segment on resting ECG	-	NS	2.42 (1.07-5.49)	0.034
Previous revascularisation	5.15 (1.33-19.97)	0.018	-	NS
Self-employed	3.92 (1.29-11.92)	0.016	-	NS
Age	0.99 (0.96-1.03)	0.589	1.01 (0.98-1.04)	0.655

Characteristics remaining significant in a multivariable analysis adjusted for age. Follow-up within six months of exercise testing. NS = not significant.

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