Table 3.

Comparison of Various Factors according to Whether the Patient or the Patient’s Family Made the Decision to Provide Consent to Withdraw Life-Sustaining Treatment (N=334).

Variables	Patient decision (N=115)	Family decision (N=219)	P-value
	n(%) or Mean±SD	n(%) or Mean±SD
Sex			0.246
Male	68 (59.1)	145 (66.2)
Female	47 (40.9)	74 (33.8)
Age (yr)	63.9±10.4	69.9±12.8	<0.001
Place where consent for withholding life-sustaining treatment was provided			<0.001
General ward	99 (86.1)	84 (38.4)
Intensive care unit	9 (7.8)	95 (43.4)
Emergency room	7 (6.1)	40 (18.3)
Survival or location of death			0.061
Survival	6 (5.2)	21 (9.6)
Death at our hospital	87 (75.7)	174 (79.5)
Death at other place	22 (19.1)	24 (11.1)
Duration of hospitalization (days)
Admission to consent for withholding of life-sustaining treatment	11.7±14.2	14.2±21.7	0.204
Consent for withholding life-sustaining treatment to death	28.7±41.3	10.5±23.2	<0.001
Types of patients			<0.001
End stage of life patients	9 (7.8)	78 (35.6)
Terminal patients	106 (92.2)	141 (64.4)
Special life-sustaining treatments mentioned in the consent form (multiple responses)
Cardiac resuscitation	115 (100)	218 (99.5)	1
Intubation and ventilator care	111 (96.5)	156 (71.2)	<0.001
Hemodialysis	111 (96.5)	164 (74.9)	<0.001
Chemotherapy	102 (88.7)	190 (86.8)	0.739
Intensive end of life care before provision of consent for withholding life-sustaining treatment
Done	21 (18.3)	146 (66.7)	<0.001

Values are presented as mean±standard deviation or number (%).