TABLE 2.
Sociodemographic and Referral Characteristics of the Sample
| Variable, Mean ± SD or freq (%) | Sample, N = 348* |
|---|---|
| Age (yr) | 74.3 ± 5.7 |
| Female | 188 (54.0%) |
| Race | |
| White | 256 (73.6%) |
| Black | 90 (25.9%) |
| Asian or Pacific islands | 2 (0.6%) |
| Income level <20K (INCOMELV) | 149 (42.8%) |
| Education (DMEDUC1) | |
| Less than high school | 104 (30.0%) |
| Completed high school | 115 (33.1%) |
| Some college/trade school | 60 (17.3%) |
| College graduate | 68 (19.6%) |
| Insurance | |
| Medicare only | 75 (21.5%) |
| Private/HMO only | 50 (14.4%) |
| Both Medicare and private/HMO | 223 (64.1%) |
| Admission diagnosis | |
| Circulatory | 202 (58.0%) |
| Digestive | 45 (12.9%) |
| Musculoskeletal/injury | 15 (4.3%) |
| Neoplasm | 17 (4.9%) |
| Neurological | 8 (2.3%) |
| Respiratory | 42 (12.1%) |
| Other | 19 (5.5%) |
| Referral group | |
| Agree Not to refer | 66 (19.0%) |
| Expert Only Refer | 183 (52.6%) |
| Agree to Refer | 99 (28.4%) |
*
Sample decreased to 350 from 355 because 2 cases were accidentally not sent to the experts and the hospital clinician decision was missing on 3 others. The 2 cases of Clinician Only Refer were not included in the analysis sample.