Univariate analyses of the predictive value of GP characteristics, patient characteristics and specific triggers causing the gut feeling
| Patients characteristics | Number of patients* | Number of patients with cancer (percentage confirmed cancer) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | p=0.67 | ||
| Female | 159 | 54 (34%) | |
| Male | 177 | 64 (36%) | |
| Age category | p=0.17 | ||
| 0–30 years | 16 | 3 (19%) | |
| 31–64 years | 140 | 45 (32%) | |
| 65–100 years | 180 | 70 (39%) | |
| How long does the GP know the patient? | p=0.01 | ||
| 0–10 years | 134 | 37 (28%) | |
| >11 years | 196 | 80 (41%) | |
| How well does the GP know the patient? | p=0.11 | ||
| Not well | 27 | 7 (26%) | |
| A little | 32 | 15 (47%) | |
| Quite well | 151 | 45 (30%) | |
| Very well | 125 | 50 (40%) | |
| Ethnicity | p=0.87 | ||
| Dutch | 204 | 110 (35%) | |
| Other | 14 | 7 (35%) | |
| General practitioner characteristics | Number of patients with cancer (percentage confirmed cancer) | p Value | |
| Gender | p=0.89 | ||
| Female | 81 | 29 (36%) | |
| Male | 249 | 87 (35%) | |
| Age category | p=0.004 | ||
| ≤50 years | 151 | 41 (27%) | |
| >50 years | 151 | 65 (43%) | |
| Years of experience | p=0.006 | ||
| 0–15 years | 116 | 30 (26%) | |
| >15 years | 119 | 51 (43%) | |
| Triggers causing the GUT feeling | Number of patients with cancer (percentage confirmed cancer) | p Value | |
| Weight loss | 79 | 21 (27%) | p=0.07 |
| Rare GP visits | 73 | 19 (26%) | p=0.07 |
| Duration of symptoms | 62 | 18 (29%) | p=0.27 |
| Palpable tumour | 52 | 25 (48%) | p=0.03 |
| Patient's appearance | 48 | 15 (31%) | p=0.54 |
| Abnormal test results | 36 | 16 (44%) | p=0.22 |
| Patients medical history | 22 | 9 (41%) | p=0.56 |
| Pain | 19 | 6 (32%) | p=0.74 |
| Smoking | 11 | 4 (36%) | p=0.93 |
| Jaundice | 9 | 3 (33%) | p=0.91 |
| Family's medical history | 7 | 2 (29%) | p=0.71 |
*Patients were excluded in analysis in case of a missing value in the involved variables.
GP, general practitioner.