Providers characteristics according to medical education
| Variables | [1] MBBS | [2] BA/H/UMS | [3] Other | [4] DIFF 1–2 | [5] DIFF 1–3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 45.7 (42.2 to 49.2) | 46.8 (43.6 to 50) | 43.5 (42.2 to 44.7) | −1.1 | 2.2 |
| Education >high School (%) | 100 (– to –) | 97.8 (93.6 to 102.1) | 70.7 (65.7 to 75.7) | 2.2 | 29.30*** |
| Has ever used a computer (%) | 62.9 (46.6 to 79.1) | 30.4 (17 to 43.9) | 12.4 (8.8 to 16.1) | 32.42*** | 50.44*** |
| Experience (years) | 18.5 (15 to 22.1) | 19 (16 to 21.9) | 18.2 (17.1 to 19.4) | −0.4 | 0.3 |
| Average patient caseload (day) | 29.3 (23.5 to 35.1) | 17.1 (15.6 to 18.6) | 17.2 (16.5 to 18) | 12.17*** | 12.06*** |
| Working hours (per week) | 61.8 (56.3 to 67.4) | 52.2 (47.2 to 57.2) | 48.3 (46.4 to 50.3) | 9.61** | 13.51*** |
| Run camps (%) | 40 (23.5 to 56.5) | 6.5 (−0.7 to 13.7) | 4.5 (2.2 to 6.7) | 33.48*** | 35.54*** |
| Public health facility (%) | 22.9 (8.7 to 37) | 2.2 (−2.1 to 6.4) | 0.3 (−0.3 to 0.9) | 20.68*** | 22.54*** |
| Infrastructure Index | 3.1 (2 to 4.3) | 0.2 (−0.3 to 0.7) | −0.4 (−0.5 to −0.3) | 2.92*** | 3.53*** |
| Consultation fee (Rs) | 64.2 (44.8 to 83.6) | 38.6 (26.4 to 50.9) | 15.5 (13.3 to 17.6) | 25.60** | 48.75*** |
| Task (% of providers) | |||||
| Consultation with patients | 100 (– to –) | 100 (– to –) | 99.7 (99.1 to 100.3) | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Administering treatment | 57.1 (40.5 to 73.8) | 76.1 (63.6 to 88.5) | 90.8 (87.6 to 94) | – | –33.62*** |
| Selling drugs | 8.6 (−0.8 to 18) | 41.3 (26.9 to 55.7) | 53.2 (47.7 to 58.7) | –32.73*** | –44.61*** |
| Laboratory-related duties | 17.1 (4.5 to 29.8) | 6.5 (−0.7 to 13.7) | 3.8 (1.7 to 5.9) | 10.6 | 13.3 |
| Administrative duties | 48.6 (31.8 to 65.4) | 71.7 (58.6 to 84.9) | 61.8 (56.4 to 67.2) | –23.17** | −13.2 |
| Ownership | 51.4 (34.6 to 68.2) | 76.1 (63.6 to 88.5) | 72 (67 to 77) | –24.66** | –20.55** |
| Type of medicine practiced (%) | |||||
| Allopathic | 94.3 (86.5 to 100) | 89.1 (80 to 98.2) | 91.4 (88.3 to 94.5) | 5.2 | 2.9 |
| Homeopathic/Ayurvedic | 20 (6.6 to 33.4) | 63 (48.9 to 77.1) | 32.8 (27.6 to 38) | –43.04*** | −12.8 |
| Type of diseases treated (%) | |||||
| Tuberculosis | 88.6 (77.9 to 99.3) | 65.2 (51.3 to 79.1) | 32.8 (27.6 to 38) | 23.35*** | 55.77*** |
| VL | 2.9 (−2.7 to 8.5) | 4.3 (−1.6 to 10.3) | 1.9 (0.4 to 3.4) | −1.5 | 1.0 |
| Observations | 35 | 46 | 314 | ||
Columns 1–3 report mean (95% CI) and columns 4 and 5 report differences. BA/H/UMS includes BAMS, BUMS and BHMS degrees as well as Diploma in Ayurvedic and some others MD degrees. Providers classified as ‘Other’ includes all providers with NO medical training or those with coursework related in some way to medicine such as pharmacist or informal training. The infrastructure index was computed according to the following variables: electricity, power backup, number of consulting rooms, number of bed for day observation, provision of tests, provision of X-rays and computer system.
Asterisks represent statistically significant differences, with ***p<0.01, **p<0.05, *p<0.1. Source: Providers Interview.