Table 1.
Characteristics of Patients and Health Care Providers*
| Patients | Health Care Providers (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| N | 102 | 406 |
| Age, y | ||
| ≤50 | 23 (23) | 396 (98) |
| 51–70 | 55 (54) | 6 (2) |
| >70 | 24 (24) | 0 (0) |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 63 (62) | 177 (44) |
| Female | 39 (38) | 159 (40) |
| Race | ||
| White | 64 (63) | 346 (85) |
| African American | 35 (34) | 7 (2) |
| Other | 3 (3) | 50 (12) |
| Marital status | ||
| Single/divorced/separated | 20 (20) | 151 (37) |
| Married | 64 (63) | 251 (62) |
| Widowed | 12 (12) | 0 (0) |
| Religion | ||
| Protestant | 56 (55) | 164 (40) |
| Catholic | 3 (3) | 109 (27) |
| Other/none | 4 (4) | 129 (32) |
| Intensive care unit | ||
| Surgical | 21 (21) | — |
| Neurological | 16 (16) | — |
| Medical | 65 (64) | — |
| Primary diagnosis for patient | ||
| Respiratory failure | 25 (24) | — |
| Neurological | 22 (22) | — |
| Postsurgical | 22 (22) | — |
| Malignancy | 21 (21) | — |
| Cardiac | 12 (12) | — |
| Professional status | ||
| Attending physician | — | 70 (17) |
| Fellow | — | 59 (15) |
| Resident | — | 74 (18) |
| Nurse | — | 203 (50) |
*
Percentages do not always total 100% because respondents were guaranteed anonymity and not all information was supplied to the interviewers.