Table 3 Patient-reported experiences during the diagnostic phase and satisfaction with the diagnostic phase
Diagnostic delay and satisfaction with diagnostic phase | SH | DK |
|---|---|---|
% | % | |
1. How did the process start that led to your diagnosis with cancer? | n = 140 | n = 1935 |
- I was in contact with my own general practitioner (GP) | 19.3 | 52.3 |
- I was in contact with a specialist outside of the hospital (e.g. gynaecologist) | 26.4 | 1.1 |
- I attended cancer screening (e.g. breast-, cervix- or colorectal cancer) | 30.7 | 33.3 |
- I was treated for another disease at the hospital | 5.0 | 2.9 |
- I was hospitalized as the result of an emergency | 2.1 | 3.2 |
- Other | 16.4 | 7.2 |
2. How do you rate the length of time from: | ||
a) examination by the GP until referral to a specialised doctor or hospital? | n = 53 | n = 973 |
- Adequate | 84.9 | 74.8 |
- Too long | 9.4 | 12.2 |
- Too short | 0.0 | 9.9 |
- Not relevant | 5.7 | 3.0 |
b) referral to examination at a specialised doctor/hospital until receiving the diagnosis? | n = 54 | n = 975 |
- Adequate | 75.9 | 72.2 |
- Too long | 11.1 | 15.2 |
- Too short | 1.9 | 9.9 |
- Not relevant | 11.1 | 2.8 |
c) cancer diagnosis until you received your first treatment? | n = 158 | n = 1896 |
- Adequate | 86.1 | 79.4 |
- Too long | 11.4 | 13.8 |
- Too short | 1.9 | 3.9 |
- Not relevant | 0.6 | 3.0 |
3. Do you feel you were taken seriously when you attended the GP with your symptoms? | n = 60 | n = 1033 |
- Yes, to a great extent | 63.3 | 76.4 |
- Yes, to some extent | 10.0 | 10.8 |
- To a lesser extent | 8.3 | 4.5 |
- No, not at all | 5.0 | 6.2 |
- Not relevant | 13.3 | 2.2 |
4. Overall, how do you rate your diagnostic phase? | n = 149 | n = 1843 |
- Particularly good | 40.3 | 56.5 |
- Good in the main | 51.7 | 33.2 |
- Poor in the main | 4.0 | 4.1 |
- Particularly poor | 2.7 | 2.2 |
- Not relevant | 1.3 | 4.1 |
5. Do you feel your cancer diagnosis was given to you in a proper manner? | n = 158 | n = 1941 |
- Yes, to a great extent | 62.7 | 74.2 |
- Yes, to some extent | 25.3 | 19.2 |
- To a lesser extent | 8.2 | 4.0 |
- No, not at all | 3.8 | 2.7 |
6. Is there anything you would have liked to be different? | n = 157 | n = 1904 |
- No, there was nothing else I would have liked | 71.3 | 73.5 |
- Yes | 28.7 | 26.5 |
Among those, who stated yes, would have liked | ||
- to have started treatment sooner (e.g. operation, chemotherapy) | 53.3 | 68.5 |
- to have waited a little longer before I started treatment | 2.2 | 2.4 |
- more information before I started treatment | 28.9 | 15.1 |
- a more in depth conversation before I started treatment | 26.7 | 15.5 |