Table 1.
Description of Patients Who Died an Expected Death, by Receipt of End-of-Life Symptom Management Protocola
| n = 424 | ESMO (n = 236) | No ESMO (n = 188) |
|---|---|---|
| Age in years, mean (standard deviation) | 65.3b (16.9) [range 19–97] | 58.5b (17.8) [range 24–105] |
| Male | 52% | 53% |
| White | 81%b | 73%b |
| Hispanic | 14% | 19% |
| Married | 61% | 59% |
| Nursing home prior to admin | 5% | 9% |
| Primary insurance | ||
| Private | 47% | 44% |
| Any Medicare | 44% | 36% |
| Medicaid only | 6%b | 12%b |
| Uninsured | 2%b | 6%b |
| Other | 1% | 3% |
| Religion | ||
| Christian | 27% | 27% |
| Catholic | 29% | 36% |
| Jewish | 11% | 8% |
| None | 21% | 15% |
| Other | 12% | 14% |
| Transplant considered | 14%b | 39%b |
| AD within 48 hours of admission | 19% | 12% |
| Outpatient opiates | 24% | 19% |
| Conditions on admission | ||
| End-stage cancer | 25% | 18% |
| Dementia | 5% | 5% |
| Other end-stage disease | 27%b | 48%b |
| Coma | 15% | 10% |
| Service on admission | ||
| Medicine service | 59% | 57% |
| Surgery service | 20%b | 35%b |
| Neuro service | 22%b | 9%b |
a
Of 496 decedents, 424 died an expected death.
b
p < 0.05 in bivariate logistic regression.
ESMO, End-of-Life Symptom Management Protocol; AD, advance directive.