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Table 2 Characteristics of OOH-PC contacts for preschool children and proportions considered by GPs to be more appropriately targeted to the daytime GP (N = 1748)

From: Preschool children in out-of-hours primary care – a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study of factors related to the medical relevance of health problems

  

Telephone consultations

Face-to-face contacts

n (%)

Appropriate for daytime

GP (%)

n (%)

Appropriate for daytime

GP (%)

All calls

 

522 (100.0)

17.6

1226 (100.0)

18.4

Age

0–2 years

354 (67.8)

18.4

862 (70.3)

17.8

 

3–5 years

168 (32.2)

16.1

364 (29.7)

19.8

Reason for encountera

Fever

167 (32.0)

12.0

464 (37.9)

17.2

Cough

56 (10.7)

16.1

224 (18.3)

18.8

Earache

41 (7.9)

9.8

77 (6.3)

19.5

Vomiting

34 (6.5)

8.8

65 (5.3)

15.4

Other RFE

285 (54.6)

22.8

595 (48.5)

19.5

Duration of symptoms

<5 h

166 (31.8)

13.3

273 (22.3)

13.2

5–12 h

126 (24.1)

15.9

270 (22.0)

17.9

12–24 h

86 (16.5)

15.1

290 (23.7)

15.5

>24 h

130 (24.9)

26.9

387 (31.6)

24.6

Missing

14 (2.7)

6 (0.5)

Time of contact

Weekdays 4–8 p.m.

110 (21.1)

24.6

216 (17.6)

22.7

Weekday nights (8 pm - 8 am)

172 (33.0)

17.4

299 (24.4)

18.7

Weekends and holidays

240 (46.0)

14.6

711 (58.0)

16.9

Geographical location

Urban

222 (42.5)

17.1

505 (41.2)

17.8

Rural (<5000 inhab. Per postal code)

279 (53.5)

18.3

644 (52.5)

18.3

Missing

21 (4.0)

77 (6.3)

Parent-assessed severity

Potentially severe

203 (38.9)

9.4

721 (58.8)

15.3

Not severe

317 (60.7)

23.0

498 (40.6)

22.9

Missing

2 (0.4)

7 (0.6)

  1. aThe five most frequent RFEs; numbers add up to more than the total as several RFEs were stated for some cases