Table 2

Areas of enquiry, number of items and extracts of questions used to elicit time points (example from breast cancer questionnaires)

Patient

  • Background (1)

  • Route to diagnosis (eg, via PCP, A&E) (1)

  • Description of symptoms and date first noticed (2)

  • Time taken to consult doctor (1)

  • Time to get an appointment and date seen (2)

  • Number of health professional visits (1)

  • Time taken to get CTS appointment (2)

  • Date of diagnosis (1)

  • Description of treatments received (1)

  • Details of CTS (1)

  • General health and comorbidity (2)

  • Sociodemographics (3)

  • Smoking status (3)

PCP

  • Duration of symptoms prior to presentation (1)

  • Route to diagnosis (1)

  • Investigations ordered and dates (1)

  • Date of referral to CTS, and details of referral (3)

  • Date of diagnosis (1)

  • Comorbidity information (1)

CTS

  • Date of first attendance for specialist services (1)

  • Route of referral (1)

  • Where patient seen (1)

  • Date of diagnosis (1)

  • Date cancer treatment started (1)

  • Tumour information (2)

Date of first symptom (patient questionnaire) Please write down your best estimate of the date you noticed … any symptom(s) you may have had before contacting a doctor or taking part in screening Date of first presentation to primary care (patient questionnaire) What was the date you first saw your doctor about your health concern(s) or symptom(s)? Date of first presentation to primary care (PCP questionnaire) Through what route did the patient first present? (if your patient first presented to primary care, either in-hours or out-of hours). Can you please provide your best approximation of the date of his primary care visit? Date of referral (PCP questionnaire) At what date did you first refer the patient to hospital or another specialist, thereby transferring the responsibility for ongoing investigation/treatment to other medical services? Date of diagnosis (patient questionnaire) What was the date you were told you had cancer? Date of diagnosis (PCP and CTS questionnaires) Please indicate date of diagnosis: This can be decided in different ways; please tick and complete as many of the following dates as possible: Date of histological confirmation; date of results of investigation confirming cancer;date patient was told; date of biopsy; date patient was first admitted to hospital because of themalignancy;date of MDT confirmation of diagnosis; other (please specify)

  • A&E, accident and emergency; CTS, cancer treatment specialists; MDT, multidisciplinary team; PCP, primary care physician..