title: Representativeness of patients and providers in the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN) has established a national repository of primary care patient health data that is used for both surveillance and research. Our main objective was to determine how representative the data for patients and primary care practitioners in the CPCSSN are when compared with the Canadian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, we compared the 2013 CPCSSN patient sample with age and sex information from the 2011 census. The CPCSSN provider sample in 2013 was compared with the 2013 National Physician Survey. Results were stratified by 5 clinically relevant age categories and sex, and male-to-female ratios were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients who were 65 years of age and older represented 20.4% of the CPCSSN sample but only represented 14.8% of the Canadian population (2011 census). Among young adults (20-39 yr), 39.3% fewer men than women visited their primary care practitioner within 2 years. CPCSSN sample practitioners were more likely to be under 45 years of age, more likely to be female and more likely to be in an academic practice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is important to consider adjusting for age and sex when using CPCSSN data. CPCSSN practitioners are likely not representative of family physicians; therefore, CPCSSN needs to recruit more nonacademic practices, community clinics and practices that have a larger proportion of male providers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine (Queenan, Khan, Drummond, Morkem, Birtwhistle), Queen's University, Kingston, Ont.; Community Health Sciences (Williamson, Garies), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Queenan
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine (Queenan, Khan, Drummond, Morkem, Birtwhistle), Queen's University, Kingston, Ont.; Community Health Sciences (Williamson, Garies), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.
authors.forename: Tyler
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine (Queenan, Khan, Drummond, Morkem, Birtwhistle), Queen's University, Kingston, Ont.; Community Health Sciences (Williamson, Garies), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.
authors.forename: Shahriar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine (Queenan, Khan, Drummond, Morkem, Birtwhistle), Queen's University, Kingston, Ont.; Community Health Sciences (Williamson, Garies), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Drummond
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine (Queenan, Khan, Drummond, Morkem, Birtwhistle), Queen's University, Kingston, Ont.; Community Health Sciences (Williamson, Garies), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garies
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine (Queenan, Khan, Drummond, Morkem, Birtwhistle), Queen's University, Kingston, Ont.; Community Health Sciences (Williamson, Garies), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.
authors.forename: Rachael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morkem
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine (Queenan, Khan, Drummond, Morkem, Birtwhistle), Queen's University, Kingston, Ont.; Community Health Sciences (Williamson, Garies), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Birtwhistle