TABLE 3.
Sociodemographic and Health Characteristics of the Sample by Expert/Hospital Decisions
| Expert/Hospital Decisions |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable, Mean ± SD or Freq (%) | Agree Not to Refer, n = 66 |
Expert Only Refer, n = 183 |
Agree to Refer, n = 99 |
P* |
| Age (yr) | 72.4 ± 5.0† | 74.0 ± 5.7† | 76.2 ± 5.7‡§ | <0.001 |
| Female | 27 (40.9%) | 105 (54.7%) | 56 (56.6%) | 0.059 |
| Race¶ | † § | ‡ | ‡ | 0.007 |
| White | 57 (86.4%) | 132 (72.1%) | 67 (67.7%) | |
| Black | 7 (10.6%) | 51 (27.9%) | 32 (32.3%) | |
| Asian or Pacific Islands | 2 (3.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Income level <20K (INCOMELV) | 13 (19.7%)†§ | 89 (48.6%)‡ | 47 (41.5%)‡ | <0.001 |
| Education (DMEDUC1) | † § | ‡ | ‡ | 0.008 |
| Less than high school | 7 (10.6%) | 61 (33.3%) | 36 (36.7%) | |
| Completed high school | 27 (40.9%) | 56 (30.6%) | 32 (32.7%) | |
| Some college/trade school | 12 (18.2%) | 34 (18.6%) | 14 (14.3%) | |
| College graduate | 20 (30.3%) | 32 (27.5%) | 16 (16.3%) | |
| Insurance | 0.874 | |||
| Medicare only | 13 (19.7%) | 38 (20.8%) | 24 (24.2%) | |
| Private/HMO only | 9 (13.6%) | 29 (15.8%) | 12 (12.1%) | |
| Both Medicare and private/HMO | 44 (66.7%) | 116 (63.4%) | 63 (63.6%) | |
| Admission diagnosis | † § | ‡ | ‡ | <0.001 |
| Circulatory | 20 (30.3%) | 115 (62.8%) | 67 (67.7%) | |
| Digestive | 14 (21.2%) | 22 (48.9%) | 9 (9.1%) | |
| Respiratory | 13 (19.7%) | 20 (10.9%) | 9 (9.1%) | |
| Other | 19 (28.8%) | 26 (14.2%) | 14 (14.1%) | |
| Total resources needed | 0.1 ± 0.3†§ | 0.5 ± 1.0†‡ | 0.9 ± 1.2‡§ | <0.001 |
| Resource use: Used nursing care before admission | 4 (6.1%) | 9 (4.9%)† | 14 (14.1%)§ | 0.019 |
| Total resources used [0–5] | 0.2 ± 0.6† | 0.3 ± 0.7† | 0.7 ± 1.1‡§ | 0.007 |
| Eating function | † § | ‡ | ‡ | <0.001 |
| No restriction | 33 (50.0%) | 47 (25.7%) | 32 (32.3%) | |
| Minor restriction | 31 (47.0%) | 104 (56.85) | 41 (41.4%) | |
| Occasional/daily help | 2 (3.0%) | 32 (17.5%) | 26 (26.3%) | |
| Walking function | † § | ‡ | ‡ | <0.001 |
| No restriction | 41 (62.01%) | 41 (22.4%) | 20 (20.3%) | |
| Minor restriction | 21 (31.8%) | 64 (35.0%) | 30 (30.3%) | |
| Major restriction | 4 (6.1%) | 78 (42.6%) | 49 (49.5%) | |
| Dressing function | † § | ‡ | ‡ | 0.001 |
| No restrictions | 51 (77.3%) | 106 (57.9%) | 48 (48.5%) | |
| Restrictions | 15 (22.7%) | 77 (42.1%) | 51 (51.5%) | |
| Bathing function | † § | † ‡ | ‡ § | <0.001 |
| No restriction | 59 (89.4%) | 110 (60.1%) | 45 (45.5%) | |
| Minor restriction | 6 (9.1%) | 31 (16.9%) | 12 (12.1%) | |
| Equipment/daily help | 1 (1.5%) | 42 (23.0%) | 42 (42.4%) | |
| Toileting function | † § | ‡ | ‡ | <0.001 |
| No restriction | 52 (78.8%) | 80 (43.7%) | 32 (32.3%) | |
| Minor restriction | 12 (18.2%) | 68 (37.2%) | 36 (36.4%) | |
| Equipment use/incontinent | 2 (3.0%) | 35 (19.1%) | 31 (31.3%) | |
| Travel function | † § | ‡ | ‡ | <0.001 |
| No restriction | 56 (84.9%) | 83 (45.4%) | 45 (45.5%) | |
| Minor restriction | 7 (10.6%) | 29 (15.9%) | 16 (16.2%) | |
| Travels freely with help | 3 (4.6%) | 26 (14.2%) | 11 (11.1%) | |
| Major restrictions | 0 (0.0%) | 25 (13.7%) | 12 (12.1%) | |
| Homebound | 0 (0.0%) | 20 (10.9%) | 15 (15.2%) | |
| Activities in home function | † § | ‡ | ‡ | <0.001 |
| Usual activity | 51 (77.3%) | 67 (36.6%) | 29 (29.3%) | |
| Modified activity | 14 (21.2%) | 64 (35.0%) | 30 (30.3%) | |
| Restricted/no activity | 1 (1.5%) | 52 (28.4%) | 40 (40.4%) | |
| Work role function | † § | † ‡ | ‡ § | <0.001 |
| Usual activity | 53 (80.3%) | 80 (43.7%) | 27 (27.3%) | |
| Modified activity | 7 (10.6%) | 47 (25.7%) | 27 (27.3%) | |
| Restricted activity | 2 (3.0%) | 39 (21.3%) | 30 (30.3%) | |
| No activity | 4 (6.1%) | 17 (9.3%) | 15 (15.2%) | |
| Recreational activities function | † § | ‡ | ‡ | <0.001 |
| Usual activity | 56 (84.9%) | 91 (49.7%) | 50 (50.5%) | |
| Modified activity | 10 (15.2%) | 49 (26.8%) | 22 (22.2%) | |
| Restricted/no activity | 0 (0.0%) | 43 (23.5%) | 27 (27.3%) | |
| Total function score [10–51] | 12.4 ± 2.7†§ | 19.1 ± 7.3‡ | 21.2 ± 8.7‡ | <0.001 |
| Total no. of conditions | 3.6 ± 2.0†§ | 5.0 ± 2.3‡ | 4.9 ± 2.2‡ | <0.001 |
| Depression score admission [0–60] | 6.7 ± 5.9†§ | 12.8 ± 10.7‡ | 12.8 ± 12.4‡ | 0.001 |
| Imputed depression score admission [0–60] | 7.2 ± 5.5†§ | 13.2 ± 9.3‡ | 13.6 ± 11.1‡ | <0.001 |
| Surgery occurred during admission | 16 (24.2%)† | 48 (26.2%)† | 40 (40.4%)‡§ | 0.025 |
| Complicated hospital stay | 5 (6.1%)† | 31 (16.9%) | 21 (21.2%)‡ | 0.031 |
| Length of index stay | 4.6 ± 3.4†§ | 6.8 ± 5.7†‡ | 9.3 ± 7.4‡§ | <0.001 |
| Help is available | 65 (98.5%)† | 168 (91.8%) | 85 (85.7%)‡ | 0.017 |
| Help available whenever needed | 60 (90.9%)†§ | 131 (81.6%)†‡ | 56 (56.6%)‡§ | <0.001 |
| Subjective health rating | † § | † ‡ | ‡ § | <0.001 |
| Excellent | 23 (34.9%) | 10 (5.5%) | 9 (9.1%) | |
| Good | 24 (36.4%) | 79 (43.2%) | 23 (23.2%) | |
| Fair/poor | 19 (28.8%) | 94 (51.4%) | 67 (67.7%) | |
| No. prescription medications on discharge | 5.2 ± 3.6 | 5.9 ± 3.2 | 5.8 ± 3.2 | 0.246 |
| SPMSQ score on admission [0–10] | 9.8 ± 0.4†§ | 9.5 ± 0.8‡ | 9.4 ± 0.8‡ | 0.009 |
| Quality of life on admission [0–10] | 8.0 ± 2.1†§ | 6.0 ± 2.7‡ | 5.6 ± 3.0‡ | <0.001 |
| No. health care visits (past 6 mo) | 5.1 ± 6.0 | 6.7 ± 7.0 | 6.1 ± 8.6 | 0.111 |
| No. hospital admissions (past 6 mo) | 0.5 ± 0.7†§ | 0.9 ± 1.2‡ | 1.0 ± 1.1‡ | 0.003 |
*
Test of any differences between the 3 decision groups.
†
Significantly different from Agree to Refer group.
‡
Significantly different from Agree Not to Refer group.
§
Significantly different from Expert Only Refer group.
¶
Two subjects listed as Asian or Pacific islander excluded from statistical analysis.