Table 2B.
Univariate analysis of factors associated with patient, pre-hospital and total delay in appendicitis.
| n (%) | Patient delay/h (IQR) | p a | Pre-hospital delay/h (IQR) | p a | Total delay/h (IQR) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symptoms | ||||||
| Abdominal pain | 504 (99%) | 20 (9–37) | .027 | 25 (14–43) | .030 | 39 (28–55) |
| No abdominal pain | 6 (1%) | 65 (33–114) | .027 | 69 (35–201) | .030 | 75 (44–252) |
| Fever | 152 (30%) | 25 (13–46) | <.001 | 29 (19–49) | .003 | 42 (30–62) |
| Nausea | 201 (39%) | 15 (8–32) | <.001 | 23 (12–40) | .015 | 35 (24–53) |
| Vomiting | 109 (21%) | 14 (7–29) | <.001 | 21 (11–41) | .059 | 34 (23–51) |
| Loss of appetite | 91 (18%) | 24 (14–46) | .002 | 34 (22–57) | <.001 | 49 (32–70) |
| Tenderness to movement | 95 (19%) | 19 (12–29) | .817 | 26 (16–47) | .655 | 35 (29–57) |
| Diarrhea | 48 (9%) | 26 (9–58) | .186 | 40 (15–77) | .009 | 53 (31–91) |
| Symptom onset | ||||||
| Between 10 pm and 6 am | 129 (25%) | 15 (9–33) | .023 | 19 (13–39) | .056 | 33 (26–52) |
| Between Friday 3 pm and Monday 6 am | 209 (41%) | 20 (11–38) | .571 | 26 (16–42) | .984 | 41 (28–54) |
| Telephone contact | .198b | .152b | ||||
| Referred to see a doctor | 225 (44%) | 20 (9–37) | N/A | 24 (15–42) | N/A | 37 (28–55) |
| Not referred to see a doctor | 84 (16%) | 23 (9–57) | N/A | 29 (14–76) | N/A | 42 (28–88) |
| No telephone contacts | 201 (39%) | 19 (9–34) | N/A | 27 (14–43) | N/A | 40 (27–56) |
| Examinations at the first doctor’s appointment | ||||||
| Abdominal imaging | 34 (7%) | 14 (6–28) | N/A | 25 (14–41) | .588 | 36 (23–57) |
| Laboratory tests | 395 (77%) | 21 (10–38) | N/A | 26 (16–46) | .145 | 40 (29–58) |
| Clinical examination only | 77 (15%) | 18 (9–39) | N/A | 23 (14–41) | .127 | 37 (28–55) |
| Conclusion at the first doctor’s appointment | .174b | <.001 b | ||||
| Referred to a surgical center | 361 (71%) | 21 (11–37) | N/A | 24 (14–40) | Referencec | 37 (27–53) |
| Not referred to a surgical center | 112 (22%) | 14 (7–40) | N/A | 35 (20–77) | <.001 c | 51 (34–87) |
| No doctor visits | 37 (7%) | 17 (7–37) | N/A | 17 (7–37) | .131c | 33 (21–48) |
| Antibiotic medication during 48 h before arrival at hospital | 16 (3%) | 16 (8–51) | .648 | 51 (26–146) | .007 | 72 (40–159) |
N = 510. Values are presented as median (I.Q.R.). The values were left without the I.Q.R. when there were three or fewer patients in a group.
a
Mann–Whitney’s test.
b
Kruskal–Wallis test.
c
Dunn–Bonferroni’s test. In the Dunn–Bonferroni test, ‘Reference’ indicates the reference group.
Significant findings with P-values less than 0.05 are bolded.