Comparison of Time Use across Age Categories*
| Younger Patients 18–64 (n = 2469) | Older Patients 65–74 (n = 513) | Oldest Patients ≥75 (n = 395) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| History taking | 57.3 | 58.7 | 57.3 | 0.31 |
| Planning treatment | 32.5 | 31.3 | 29.9 | 0.007† |
| Physical examination | 20.9 | 22.1 | 22.9 | 0.02† |
| Health education | 19.9 | 18.2 | 16.6 | <0.001‡ |
| Feedback on evaluation results | 13.4 | 14.6 | 14.7 | 0.01§† |
| Family information | 10.4 | 8.5 | 8.5 | <0.001§† |
| Chatting | 7.0 | 8.2 | 10.1 | <0.001‡ |
| Structuring the interaction | 7.6 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 0.11 |
| Patient questions | 6.6 | 7.5 | 8.1 | <0.001§† |
| Preventive services | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 0.16 |
| Procedures | 2.6 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 0.56 |
| Nutrition advice | 2.2 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.05 |
| Counseling | 2.4 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.001§† |
| Exercise advice | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.005†‖ |
| Compliance assessment | 1.6 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0.001§† |
| Smoking behavior assessment or advice | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | <0.001‡ |
| Assessing patient’s health knowledge | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.06 |
| Health promotion | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.8 | <0.001§† |
| Negotiation | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.15 |
| Substance use assessment or advice | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 | <0.001§† |
| Length of visit | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 0.99 |
* Analyses are adjusted for patient sex, race, reason for visit, number of visits in previous year, number of chronic illnesses, new or established patient, and number of years as patient of physician.
† Column 1 differs from column 3, P < .05.
‡ All three columns differ, P < .05.
§ Column 1 differs from column 2, P < .05.
‖ Column 2 differs from column 3, P < .05.