Table 1.
Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients
| Characteristic | Alert and oriented (n = 28)a | Cognitively impaired/nonresponsive (n = 30)b |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Mean = 60.6 years | Mean = 67.5 years |
| SD = 16.5 years | SD = 16.8 years | |
| Karnofsky Scale | Mean = 29.3 | Mean = 15.0 |
| SD = 8.29 | SD = 4.5 | |
| Gender | Female 61% | Female 55% |
| Male 39% | Male 39% | |
| Missing 6% | ||
| Race/Ethnic background | Caucasian 71% | Caucasian 58% |
| African American 21% | African American 33% | |
| Asian 4% | Asian 3% | |
| Hispanic 4% | Missing 6% | |
| Marital status | Divorced 32% | Single 40% |
| Married 25% | Married 27% | |
| Single 21% | Divorced or separated 12% | |
| Widowed 21% | Widowed 9% | |
| Missing 12% | ||
| Extent of cancer | Metastatic 39% | Metastatic 86%c |
| Local/Regional 18% | Local 14% | |
| Unknown 43% | ||
| Change in pain | Worsening pain 96% | Worsening pain 71% |
| New pain 4% | New pain 29% | |
| Cause of pain | Bone/soft tissue 54% | Bone/soft tissue 43% |
| Visceral 14% | Unknown or other 57% | |
| Nerve 7% | ||
| Unknown or other 25% | ||
| Pain Medication | Morphine 39% | Morphine 40% |
| Fentanyl 25% | Fentanyl 40% | |
| Hydromorphone 12% | Other 20% | |
| Other 24% | ||
| Medication route | Oral 47% | Oral 40% |
| Transdermal 27% | Transdermal 40% | |
| Intravenous 20% | Other 20% | |
| Other 5% |
a
Sample from Project 2.
b
Combined sample from Projects 2 and 3.
c
n = 22 with cancer.
SD, standard deviation.