Table 4.

In-hospital mortality among patients who underwent surgery for colon cancer in the United Sates from Jan. 1, 1993, to Dec. 31, 1996, by consult-to-admission and first diagnostic test-to-admission intervals^*

Waiting time†	Consult-to-admission		First diagnostic test-to-admission
	OR (95% CI)	p value	OR (95% CI)	p value
Short	1.0		1.0
Short–medium	1.3 (0.9–1.9)	0.23	1.0 (0.6–1.5)	0.95
Medium–long	0.8 (0.4–1.5)	0.39	0.7 (0.4–1.5)	0.38
Long	1.0 (0.6–1.8)	0.91	0.8 (0.4–1.5)	0.51

CI = confidence interval; OR = odds ratio.

^*Adjusted for age (65–73 yr, 74–80 yr, ≥ 81 yr), sex, race (white, black, other), median household income group (low, low–medium, medium–high, high), tumour stage (localized, regional, distant), admission type (emergency, elective, urgent), comorbidity score (0, ≥ 1) and hospital procedure volume (low, low–medium, medium–high, high).

^†Consult-to-admission waiting time intervals: short wait (1–7 d), short–medium wait (8–14 d), medium–long wait (15–21 d) and long wait (≥ 22 d). First diagnostic test-to-admission waiting time intervals: short wait (1–14 d), short–medium wait (15–28 d), medium–long wait (29–42 d) and long wait (≥ 43 d).