Table.

Themes and Subthemes Around Medical and Surgical Decisión Making

Management of comorbidities (n = 11, 61.1%)	Multimorbidity/frailty
	Delays were implemented to improve nutritional status or physical conditioning.
	Identification of appropriate referrals
	Delays provided an opportunity to consult with a specialist for management of a comorbidity.
Communication (n = 6, 33.3%)	Communication with patients and families
	Several patients expressed significant anxiety before surgery, requesting delays on short notice.
	Communication between providers
	In some cases, a provider identified an issue that needed further evaluation and communicated concerns to the other providers, necessitating a delay of surgery.
	In 4 cases, providers communicated with a patient’s preexisting specialist.
Psychosocial needs (n = 3, 16.7%)	Social stressors
	In some cases, a social issue (such as an ill family member) caused the delay of surgery.
	Family support
	Patients often rely on family members for transportation, emotional support, and helping with ADLs and IADLs as they recover. Delays were needed for some patients to secure this support.
Confidence (n = 4, 22.2%)	Confidence for providers and patients
	Sometimes reevaluation either with imaging or another diagnostic procedure triggered a delay, but provided valuable information contributing to a full risk–benefit profile.
Preference for nonsurgical management (n = 3, 16.7%)	Desire to trial nonsurgical management
	Three patients preferred to try medical management, either because their symptoms subsided, they had anxiety about surgery, or other events in their lives took priority over having surgery at that particular point in time.
Logistical issue (n = 3, 16.7%)	Need for specialized equipment
	Two patients had their surgeries delayed so that their care could be transferred to another facility with appropriate equipment.
	Transportation
	One patient’s surgery was delayed in part due to a lack of transportation to the hospital on the day of surgery.

Abbreviations: ADL, activities of daily living; IADL, instrumental activities of daily living.