Participant characteristics: We report the mean and SD if the distribution is normal, and median and IQR if the distribution is not normal.
| CHARACTERISTIC | PATIENTS (N = 238) | HEALTH PROFESSIONALS (N = 71) |
|---|---|---|
| Site, n (%) | ||
| • 1 | 48 (20) | 14 (20) |
| • 2 | 50 (21) | 18 (25) |
| • 3 | 62 (26) | 12 (17) |
| • 4 | 40 (17) | 12 (17) |
| • 5 | 38 (16) | 15 (21) |
| Female sex, n (%) | 181 (76) | 48 (68) |
| • Physicians | NA | 25 (52) |
| • Residents | NA | 16 (33) |
| • Nurses and dietitians | NA | 7 (15) |
| Male sex, n (%) | 57 (24) | 23 (32) |
| • Physicians | NA | 14 (61) |
| • Residents | NA | 9 (39) |
| • Nurses and dietitians | NA | 0 (0) |
| Median (IQR) age | 39 (16 to 82) | 33 (23 to 64) |
| • Physicians | NA | 40 (26 to 64) |
| • Residents | NA | 27 (23 to 40) |
| • Nurses and dietitians | NA | 30 (28 to 53) |
| Level of education, n (% of 238) | ||
| • Low | 89 (37) | NA |
| -None or some elementary school | 2 (< 1) | NA |
| -Elementary school | 18 (8) | NA |
| -Secondary school diploma | 42 (18) | NA |
| -Secondary school vocational diploma | 27 (11) | NA |
| • Medium (ie, cégep*) | 47 (20) | NA |
| • High | 98 (41) | NA |
| -Bachelor degree | 65 (27) | NA |
| -Master’s degree | 24 (10) | NA |
| -Doctoral or professional degree | 9 (4) | NA |
| • Missing data | 4 (2) | NA |
| Median (IQR) health literacy score† | 13 (3 to 18) | NA |
| Subjective Numeracy Scale score‡ | 36 (8 to 48) | 39 (4) |
| Health professionals, n (%) | ||
| • Physicians | NA | 39 (55) |
| • Residents | NA | 25 (35) |
| • Nurses and dietitians | NA | 7 (10) |
| Place of origin, n (%) | ||
| • Quebec | 194 (82) | 59 (83) |
| • Other Canadian province | 8 (3) | 4 (6) |
| • Other country | 34 (14) | 8 (11) |
| • Missing data | 2 (< 1) | 0 (0) |
| Median (IQR) years in Quebec | 33 (1 to 79) | 32 (1 to 75) |
| Median (IQR) years in practice | ||
| • Overall | NA | 5 (1 to 40) |
| • Physicians | NA | 12 (1 to 40) |
| • Residents | NA | 1.5 (1 to 8) |
| • Nurses and dietitians | NA | 6.5 (1 to 32) |
| Median (IQR) years in clinic | NA | 3 (1 to 26) |
| Control Preferences Scale score,§ n (%) | ||
| • 1 | 13 (5) | 7 (10) |
| • 2 | 122 (51) | 19 (27) |
| • 3 | 69 (29) | 39 (55) |
| • 4 | 27 (11) | 2 (3) |
| • 5 | 4 (2) | 0 (0) |
| • Missing data | 3 (1) | 4 (6) |
| Languages spoken,‖ n (%) | ||
| • French | 231 (97) | 71 (100) |
| • English | 212 (89) | 70 (99) |
| Visible minorities,¶ n (%) | 30 (13) | 4 (6) |
| People with disabilities,# n (%) | 10 (4) | 0 (0) |
IQR—interquartile range, NA—not applicable.
↵* Cégep is a stage of education in Quebec. It typically requires 2 years of study after grade 11. Graduates might then go on to college or university.
↵† Health literacy is defined as the capacity to understand basic health information.
↵‡ This scale rates confidence in working with numbers and preferences for numerical information. Scores are reported as median (IQR) for patients and as mean (SD) for health professionals.
↵§ The Control Preference Scale rates preferences as follows: 1 = prefers that the patient makes the final decision alone, 2 = prefers that the patient makes the decision after seriously considering the health professional’s opinion, 3 = prefers that the patient and the health professional share responsibility for the decision, 4 = prefers that the health professional makes the decision after he or she seriously considers the patient’s opinion, and 5 = prefers that the health professional makes the decision alone.
↵‖ Not mutually exclusive.
↵¶ Visible minorities are defined as “persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in color.”41
↵# Disability is defined as physical, cognitive, intellectual, mental, sensory, or developmental impairment.