Table 1.
Patient Demographics and Characteristics of Palliative Care Consultations Completed (N = 1,794)
| Characteristic | No. | % |
|---|---|---|
| Year of consultation | ||
| 2003 | 113 | 6 |
| 2004 | 220 | 12 |
| 2005 | 283 | 18 |
| 2006 | 363 | 20 |
| 2007 | 414 | 23 |
| 2008 | 401 | 22 |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 933 | 52 |
| Female | 861 | 48 |
| Age at time of consultation, years | ||
| Median | 75.5 | |
| Range | 1 to 104 | |
| Birth-20 | 4 | <1 |
| 21-40 | 46 | 3 |
| 41-60 | 284 | 16 |
| 61-80 | 798 | 45 |
| 81+ | 661 | 37 |
| Resuscitation/code status | ||
| Full | 355 | 20 |
| DNR/DNI | 1,429 | 80 |
| Other | 10 | <1 |
| Primary diagnosis, reason for consultation | ||
| Cancer | 825 | 46 |
| Cardiac | 379 | 21 |
| Neurologic | 223 | 12 |
| Pulmonary | 167 | 9 |
| Renal | 91 | 5 |
| Vascular | 54 | 3 |
| Gastroenterology/hepatology | 46 | 3 |
| Not known | 5 | <1 |
| Service requesting consultation | ||
| Internal medicine | 556 | 31 |
| Cardiology/cardiac intensive care | 377 | 21 |
| Surgery | 269 | 15 |
| Medical intensive care | 161 | 9 |
| Hematology/oncology | 108 | 6 |
| Neurology | 90 | 5 |
Abbreviations: DNR, do not rescucitate; DNI, do not intubate.