Presenting characteristics of patients; values are number (%) except where stated otherwise
| Control arm | Intervention arm | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GP, general practitioner; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. | |||
| *Care during the first three months after identification of the anaemia: GP alone = all treatment and investigations managed by GP; shared = GP care with non-urgent referral to hospital; hospital = urgent/immediate admission and outpatient care. | |||
| Number of practices | 33 | 46 | 79 |
| Number of GPs | 111 | 131 | 242 |
| Number of patients | 204 | 227 | 431 |
| Sex distribution | |||
| Men | 73 (36) | 81 (36) | 154 (36) |
| Women | 131 (64) | 146 (64) | 277 (64) |
| Age group (years) | |||
| <50 | 11 (5) | 9 (4) | 20 (5) |
| 50–69 | 67 (33) | 62 (27) | 129 (30) |
| 70–79 | 71 (35) | 89 (39) | 160 (37) |
| 80–89 | 48 (24) | 56 (24) | 104 (24) |
| >90 | 7 (3) | 11 (5) | 18 (4) |
| Severity of anaemia (haemoglobin) | |||
| Mild (≥90 g/l) | 104 (51) | 127 (56) | 231 (54) |
| Moderate (70–89 g/l) | 67 (33) | 72 (32) | 139 (32) |
| Severe (≤69 g/l) | 33 (16) | 28 (12) | 61 (14) |
| On aspirin | 42 (21) | 39 (17) | 81 (19) |
| On NSAIDS | 29 (14) | 37 (16) | 66 (15) |
| Management* | |||
| GP alone | 102 (50) | 123 (54) | 225 (52) |
| Shared | 82 (40) | 93 (41) | 175 (41) |
| Hospital | 20 (10) | 11 (5) | 31 (7) |