Table 2 Outpatient’s characteristics referred at first referral
Patient Characteristics | Total, N (%) | Late referrala, n (%) | Intermediate referrala, n (%) | Early referrala, n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Reason for Referral | 281 | 115 | 82 | 30 |
Pain | 95 (33.8) | 37 (32.2) | 27 (33.0) | 8 (26.7) |
Social care planning (SCP) | 58 (20.6) | 27 (23.5) | 17 (10.7) | 6 (20.0) |
Dyspnoea | 18 (6.4) | 9 (7.8) | 7 (8.5) | 2 (6.7) |
Nutritional advice | 17 (6.0) | 6 (5.2) | 6 (7.3) | 1 (3.3) |
Psychological distress | 16 (5.7) | 0 | 5 (6.1) | 6 (20.0) |
Fatigue | 6 (2.1) | 5 (4.3) | 1 (1.2) | 0 |
Pain and dyspnoea | 10 (3.6) | 3 (2.6) | 5 (6.1) | 1 (3.3) |
Pain and SCP | 9 (3.2) | 4 (3.5) | 2 (2.4) | 2 (6.7) |
Pain and fatigue | 9 (3.2) | 3 (2.6) | 3 (3.6) | 2 (6.7) |
Othersb | 24 (8.5) | 7 (6.1) | 6 (7.3) | 0 |
More than two reasons | 25 (8.9) | 14 (12.2) | 3 (3.6) | 2 (6.7) |
ECOGc | 280 | 115 | 81 | 30 |
0 | 36 (12.9) | 8 (7.0) | 13 (16.0) | 7 (23.3) |
1 | 141 (50.4) | 44 (38.3) | 47 (58.0) | 20 (66.7) |
2 | 64 (22.9) | 38 (33.0) | 14 (17.3) | 3 (10.0) |
3 | 34 (12.1) | 21 (18.3) | 7 (8.6) | 0 |
4 | 5 (1.8) | 4 (3.5) | 0 | 0 |
Qualified social care planning | 276 | 111 | 81 | 29 |
no level of care | 161 (58.3) | 61 (55.0) | 47 (58.0) | 19 (65.5) |
existing level of care | 115 (41.7) | 50 (45.0) | 34 (42.0) | 10 (34.5) |
Pain premedication | 279 | 115 | 82 | 29 |
NSAID | 193 (69.2) | 80 (69.6) | 60 (73.2) | 16 (53.3) |
Opioid analgesic WHO II | 32 (11.5) | 13 (11.3) | 7 (8.5) | 4 (13.3) |
Opioid analgesic WHO III | 128 (45.9) | 60 (52.2) | 35 (42.7) | 11 (36.7) |
Use of coanalgesicsd | 115 (41.2) | 44 (42.6) | 31 (37.8) | 13 (44.8) |
No medication | 51 (18.3) | 14 (12.2) | 17 (20.4) | 10 (33.3) |