Table 4.
Characteristics of Study Patient Population
| Characteristic | Median | Mean | Interquartile Range | Range | Percentage of Patients (N = 147) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 60.5 | 31-91 | |||
| Race* | |||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 94.6 | ||||
| Other | 05.4 | ||||
| Education | |||||
| < BA | 62.2 | ||||
| ≥ BA | 37.8 | ||||
| Household income | |||||
| < $60,000 | 57.0 | ||||
| ≥ $60,000 | 43.0 | ||||
| Marital status | |||||
| Single | 37.2 | ||||
| Married | 62.8 | ||||
| Presence of companions | |||||
| No | 16.2 | ||||
| Yes | 83.8 | ||||
| Religious attendance | |||||
| < Weekly | 69.4 | ||||
| ≥ Weekly | 30.6 | ||||
| Time since diagnosis, days | 7 | 8.85 | 4-11 | 0-59 | |
| Estimated stage of cancer | |||||
| 0† to I | 43.5 | ||||
| II-IV | 56.5 | ||||
| First breast cancer* | |||||
| Yes | 93.2 | ||||
| No | 06.8 | ||||
| First- or second-opinion consultation* | |||||
| First | 90.1 | ||||
| Second | 09.9 | ||||
| Previous communication with surgeon* | |||||
| Yes | 06.1 | ||||
| No | 93.9 | ||||
| Preference for participation | 6 | 6.23 | 4-8 | 2-10 | |
| Communication variable scores | |||||
| Patient asserting treatment preference | 7 | 8.46 | 3-11 | 0-37 | |
| Patient giving medical information | 2 | 4.39 | 0-6 | 0-38 | |
| Patient seeking medical information | 13 | 19.57 | 8-25 | 0-105 | |
| Surgeon soliciting participation | 3 | 3.17 | 2-4 | 0-14 | |
| Surgeon supporting decision making | 3 | 5.31 | 1-7 | 0-16 | |
| Surgeon giving good/hopeful news | 4 | 4.20 | 2-8 | 0-16 | |
| Surgeon giving sympathy/empathy | 1 | 1.64 | 0-3 | 0-9 | |
| Satisfaction with communication of surgeon | |||||
| Less than fully satisfied, no | 28.4 | ||||
| Fully satisfied, yes | 71.6 |
NOTE. Means are given for nontransformed variables. Medians and interquartile ranges are also given for log-transformed variables.
*
Not included in statistical models because of insufficient variation.
†
Ductal carcinoma in situ.