Fig. 4

All-cause mortality overall of early versus late referral stratified by cut points of first nephrology care. a 3 months; b 4 months; c 6 months; and d absolute survival rates by cut points. Patients referred at least 3 and 6 months showed a lower likelihood of 6-month and 60-month mortality than their LR counterparts. Patients referred at least 4 months showed a lower of 6-month mortality risk but similar 60-month mortality risk compared to LR patients. Compared to those referred earlier than 3 and 4 months prior to the first dialysis, patients who were referred at least 6 months showed the highest absolute survival rate during 6-month and 60-month dialysis (6 months: 95.7%; 60 months: 68.6%). The biggest survival difference was observed between ER and LR when the cut-off point was set at 6 months than at 3 and 4 months. The pooled HRs and their 95% CI were estimated using random effects models. Abbreviations: ER, early referral; LR, late referral; CI, confidence interval; PDR: pre-dialysis referral