Table 2.
Determinants of loss in continuity of care during the trimester before cancer diagnosis (univariate analysis)
| Loss of COC (n= 768) | No loss of COC (n= 2085) | ORa | 95% CI | P-valueb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient age in years | 0.57 | ||||
| Mean | 66.33 | 66.00 | 1.00 | 0.99 to 1.00 | |
| SD | 14.37 | 13.75 | |||
|
| |||||
| GP age in years | 0.32 | ||||
| Mean | 51.20 | 51.5 | 0.99 | 0.98 to 1.00 | |
| SD | 7.82 | 27.59 | |||
|
| |||||
| Patient age group, n (%) | 0.77 | ||||
| 18–49 years | 97 (12.63) | 255 (12.23) | Ref | – | |
| 50–64 years | 226 (29.43) | 654 (31.37) | 0.91 | 0.69 to 1.20 | |
| 65–74 years | 202 (26.30) | 545 (26.14) | 0.97 | 0.73 to 1.29 | |
| ≥75 years | 243 (31.64) | 631 (30.26) | 1.01 | 0.77 to 1.34 | |
|
| |||||
| Patient sex, n (%) | 0.23 | ||||
| Male | 366 (47.66) | 1047 (50.22) | Ref | – | |
| Female | 402 (52.34) | 1038 (49.78) | 1.11 | 0.94 to 1.31 | |
|
| |||||
| Comorbidity score (category), n (%) | 0.33 | ||||
| 2 | 500 (65.10) | 1313 (62.97) | Ref | – | |
| 3–12 | 175 (22.79) | 476 (22.83) | 0.97 | 0.79 to 1.18 | |
| ≥13 (metastatic cancer) | 93 (12.11) | 296 (14.20) | 0.83 | 0.64 to 1.06 | |
|
| |||||
| Tumour site (n= 2430), n (%) | n = 650 | n = 1780 | 0.16 | ||
| Breast | 158 (24.31) | 390 (21.91) | 1.15 | 0.86 to 1.52 | |
| Genital, female | 43 (6.62) | 85 (4.78) | 1.43 | 0.94 to 2.18 | |
| Genital, male | 117 (18.00) | 346 (19.44) | 0.96 | 0.71 to 1.29 | |
| Digestive system | 116 (17.85) | 328 (18.43) | Ref | – | |
| Skin | 76 (11.69) | 178 (10.00) | 1.21 | 0.86 to 1.70 | |
| Respiratory system | 57 (8.77) | 164 (9.21) | 0.98 | 0.68 to 1.42 | |
| Lymphoma/leukaemia | 20 (3.07) | 82 (4.60) | 0.69 | 0.40 to 1.17 | |
| Other locations | 63 (9.69) | 207 (11.63) | 0.69 | 0.40 to 1.17 | |
|
| |||||
| Frequency of consultations at baseline, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| 0–3 months: frequent | 350 (45.67) | 347 (17.52) | Ref | – | |
| >3–6 months: regular | 317 (41.28) | 817 (41.24) | 0.39 | 0.32 to 0.47 | |
| >6 months: occasional | 101 (13.15) | 817 (41.24) | 1.22 | 0.87 to 1.17 | |
|
| |||||
| GP sex, n (%) | 0.38 | ||||
| Male | 700 (91.15) | 1878 (90.07) | Ref | – | |
| Female | 68 (8.85) | 207 (9.93) | 0.88 | 0.66 to 1.17 | |
|
| |||||
| GP joint practice, n (%) | 0.83 | ||||
| Yes | 556 (72.40) | 1518 (72.81) | 0.98 | 0.81 to 1.18 | |
| No | 212 (27.60) | 567 (27.19) | Ref | – | |
|
| |||||
| Living in rural areas (n= 2394), n (%) | 650 | 1744 | 0.20 | ||
| No | 404 (62.15) | 1133 (64.97) | Ref | – | |
| Yes | 246 (37.85) | 611 (35.03) | 1.13 | 0.94 to 1.36 | |
a
Univariate logistic regression.
b
Wald test. COC = continuity of care. OR = odds ratio. SD = standard deviation.