TABLE 1.
DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF SURROGATES WHO RECEIVED NUMERIC VERSUS QUALITATIVE PROGNOSTIC ESTIMATES
| Characteristics | Numeric (n = 83) | Qualitative (n = 86) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age, yr ± SD | 51 ± 14 | 53 ± 16 | 0.48* |
| Male sex | 37 | 38 | 0.96† |
| Race | |||
| Hispanic | 16 | 12 | |
| Non-Hispanic | 67 | 74 | 0.35† |
| Asian | 5 | 6 | |
| African American | 4 | 5 | |
| White | 55 | 61 | |
| Native American | 0 | 3 | |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 3 | |
| Multiethnic/mixed | 13 | 7 | |
| Don't know/no response | 5 | 1 | 0.18† |
| Education | |||
| Less than high school degree | 3 | 1 | |
| High school degree | 17 | 19 | |
| Some college | 22 | 24 | |
| College degree | 21 | 18 | |
| Some postgraduate education | 5 | 4 | |
| Postgraduate or professional degree | 14 | 20 | 0.74† |
| Mean numeracy score (0–3) ± SD | 1.5 ± 0.99 | 1.4 ± 1.1 | 0.64* |
| Religion | |||
| Christian | 51 | 53 | 0.45† |
| Catholic | 23 | 18 | |
| Buddhist | 3 | 1 | |
| Hindu | 1 | 1 | |
| Muslim | 0 | 1 | |
| Jewish | 1 | 2 | |
| Mormon | 2 | 1 | |
| Wiccan | 0 | 1 | |
| None | 15 | 21 | |
| No response | 9 | 5 | 0.69† |
| Relationship to patient | |||
| Spouse/partner | 31 | 35 | |
| Child | 27 | 18 | |
| Sibling | 9 | 11 | |
| Friend | 0 | 2 | |
| Parent | 9 | 14 | |
| Other relative | 4 | 5 | |
| Other | 3 | 0 | 0.23† |
*
Unpaired t test.
†
Chi-square test.