Table 2

Crude percentage and adjusted odds ratios of negative experience of care by studied survey question; questions appear in descending order of size of variation by diagnostic route (=penultimate column)

Question numberSynoptic form of questionN*n% Negative experience (crude) n/NAdjusted ORs of negative experience by route†Size of variation by route  (max OR/min OR)P values
(for overall variation across the four studied routes)
Emergency presentationElective referralTwo-Week-Wait referral (reference)Screening detection
 15Written info on cancer diagnosis56101495272.851.290.565.09<0.0001
 30Staff explained operation—before4944802162.441.040.534.60<0.0001
 20Given name of specialist nurse6348651102.961.380.763.89<0.0001
 13Told diagnosis sensitively66891025151.931.500.702.76<0.0001
 35Confidence in hospital doctor5331716131.691.030.632.68<0.0001
 43Thought info withheld5312710131.911.300.981.95<0.0001
 49Written info at discharge49621050211.511.030.831.82<0.0001
 32Staff explained operation—after49881134231.601.050.891.80<0.0001
 19Shared decision making48991283261.411.1910.851.660.0001
 40Confidence in ward nurse53261977371.181.190.791.510.0001
 18Written info about treatment side effects6080795131.381.260.931.480.0063
 63Information given to general practitioner524332861.180.840.821.440.17
 51Self-management info postdischarge family/others46311942421.171.030.811.440.20
 65Cancer care integration63472389381.201.210.851.420.0001
 64General practice staff support45871337291.221.341.281.340.0015
 60Waiting time as outpatient59831755291.171.150.871.340.012
 21Ease of contacting specialist nurse51601120220.881.050.891.180.29
 58Emotional support as outpatient45291176261.071.080.971.110.72
  •  In columns 6-9, values shown in underlined fonts indicate the worst and those in bold fonts the best comparative experience across the four studied routes. In column 10 (size of overall variation between routes) bold fonts indicate questions with evidence p≤0.02).

  • *N varied by question, ranging from 4529 (emotional staff support as outpatient—Q58) to 6689 (told diagnosis sensitively—Q13) because some questions were not applicable to all patients.

  • †Adjusted for sex, age group, deprivation quintile, white/non-white ethnicity and colon/rectal subsite.