Table 3.
Determinants of loss in continuity of care during the year after cancer diagnosis (univariate analysis)
| Loss of COC (n= 583) | No loss of COC (n= 2033) | ORa | 95% CI | P-valueb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient age in years | |||||
| Mean | 67.6 | 65.9 | 1.01 | 1.00 to 1.02 | 0.01 |
| SD | 13.2 | 13.9 | |||
|
| |||||
| GP age in years | |||||
| Mean | 51.5 | 51.5 | 1.00 | 0.99 to 1.01 | 0.98 |
| SD | 7.9 | 7.4 | |||
|
| |||||
| Patient age group, n (%) | 0.09 | ||||
| 18–49 years | 56 (9.61) | 256 (12.59) | Ref | – | |
| 50–64 years | 169 (28.99) | 631 (31.04) | 1.22 | 0.88 to 1.71 | |
| 65–74 years | 160 (27.44) | 530 (26.07) | 1.38 | 0.98 to 1.94 | |
| ≥75 years | 198 (33.96) | 616 (30.30) | 1.47 | 1.06 to 2.04 | |
|
| |||||
| Patient sex, n (%) | 0.10 | ||||
| Male | 273 (46.83) | 1030 (50.66) | Ref | – | |
| Female | 310 (53.17) | 1003 (49.34) | 1.17 | 0.97 to 1.40 | |
|
| |||||
| Comorbidity score (category), n (%) | 0.02 | ||||
| 2 | 379 (65.01) | 1262 (62.08) | Ref | – | |
| 3–12 | 145 (24.87) | 475 (23.36) | 1.02 | 0.82 to 1.26 | |
| ≥13 (metastatic cancer)c | 59 (10.12) | 296 (14.56) | 0.66 | 0.49 to 0.90 | |
|
| |||||
| Tumour site (n= 2254), n (%) | n = 483 | n = 1771 | 0.03 | ||
| Breast | 120 (24.84) | 385 (21.74) | 1.16 | 0.85 to 1.59 | |
| Genital, female | 33 (6.83) | 83 (4.69) | 1.48 | 0.93 to 2.37 | |
| Genital, male | 92 (19.05) | 347 (19.59) | 0.99 | 0.71 to 1.38 | |
| Digestive system | 86 (17.81) | 321 (18.13) | Ref | – | |
| Skin | 60 (12.42) | 183 (10.33) | 1.22 | 0.84 to 1.78 | |
| Respiratory system | 29 (6.00) | 173 (9.77) | 0.63 | 0.40 to 0.99 | |
| Lymphoma/leukaemia | 21 (4.35) | 76 (4.29) | 1.03 | 0.60 to 1.77 | |
| Other locations | 42 (8.70) | 203 (11.46) | 0.77 | 0.51 to 1.16 | |
|
| |||||
| Frequency of consultations at baseline (n= 2539), n (%) | n = 583 | n = 1956 | <0.001 | ||
| 0–3 months: frequent | 347 (59.52) | 312 (15.95) | Ref | – | |
| >3–6 months: regular | 216 (37.05) | 856 (43.76) | 0.23 | 0.18 to 0.28 | |
| >6 months: occasional | 20 (3.43) | 788 (40.29) | 0.02 | 0.01 to 0.04 | |
|
| |||||
| GP sex, n (%) | 0.36 | ||||
| Male | 534 (91.60) | 1837 (90.36) | Ref | – | |
| Female | 49 (8.40) | 196 (9.64) | 0.86 | 0.62 to 1.19 | |
|
| |||||
| GP joint practice, n (%) | 0.38 | ||||
| No | 168 (28.82) | 548 (26.96) | Ref | – | |
| Yes | 415 (71.18) | 1485 (73.04) | 0.91 | 0.74 to 1.12 | |
|
| |||||
| Living in rural areas, n (%) | 0.44 | ||||
| No | 319 (65.77) | 1090 (63.85) | Ref | – | |
| Yes | 166 (34.23) | 617 (36.15) | 0.92 | 0.74 to 1.14 | |
a
Univariate logistic regression.
b
Wald test.
c
Weight of metastasis in comorbidity score was 11 points. COC = continuity of care. OR = odds ratio. SD = standard deviation.