Table 2 Correlation between practice location and referral behavior of GPs treating patients with suspected fractures
Major cities | Small towns | Rural areas | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of practices (n = 278) | 77 (27.7%) | 117 (42.1%) | 84 (30.2%) | |
“If a bone fracture seems likely, where will you refer to?” | ||||
Referral to | ||||
- Outpatient surgery | 60.5% n = 46/76 | 66.1% n = 76/115 | 65.5% n = 55/840 | p = 0.711 |
- Radiologic department | 51.3% n = 39/76 | 22.6% n = 26/115 | 26.2% n = 22/84 | p < 0.001 |
- Emergency department | 15.8% n = 12/76 | 27.0% n = 31/115 | 21.4% n = 18/84 | p = 0.188 |