Table 1: Physicians’ socioeconomic characteristics.

Variable No (N=115) Percentage Comparison with FMH* statistics
Age mean(standard deviation) 53 (8) 53
Sex
Male 83 72% 68%
Female 32 28% 32%
Full-time/part-time*
Full-time 55 48% 43%
Part-time 60 52% 57%
Income per year
EUR< 160’000 72 63% 37%
EUR=160’000 43 37% 63%
Practice location**
Large city 28 24% n.a.
Small town 47 41% n.a.
Rural village 40 35% n.a.
Practice structure
Group 72 63% 43%
Individual 43 37% 57%
Health maintenance organization*** membership
Yes 35 30% 34%
Number of meetings with sales representatives per month
0 12 10% n.a.
1-3 39 34% n.a.
4-10 56 49% n.a.
= 11 8 7% n.a.
Average time spent with sales representatives per meeting
< 16 minutes 74 64% n.a.
= 16 minutes 41 36% n.a.
Number of sponsored medical meetings attended in 2010
0 40 35% n.a.
1-3 38 33% n.a.
4-10 29 25% n.a.
= 11 8 7% n.a.

Abbreviation of FMH: FoederatioMedicorumHelveticorum (Swiss Medical Association), n.a.: non-available
* Part-time: corresponds to an activity rate of 9 half days or less
** Large city: ~130’000 inhabitants, small town: ~18’000 inhabitants and rural village: ~ 3’000 inhabitants
*** Health maintenance organizations are managed care plans that provide health care services to their members through networks of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers. (Source: Texas Department of Insurance, http:// www.tdi.texas.gov/pubs/consumer/cb069.html, accessed at 20.08.2013).