Table 3. Use of palliative care provided GPs and use of and number of days in specialist palliative care in the last three months of life; % (95% CI), n.

		Belgium	Netherlands	Italy	Spain	p-value†
		N = 1604	N = 635	N = 1839	N = 388
Received specialist palliative care*		47 (44 to 49)	29 (25 to 33)	39 (37 to 41)	45 (40 to 50)	<.001
		717	172	683	174
Received palliative care by GP according to GP’s self-report*		50 (48 to 53)	62 (58 to 65)	55 (53 to 57)	65 (60 to 70)	<.001
		807	375	1005	239
In case specialist palliative care was provided		N = 717	N = 172	N = 683	N = 174	p-value
Time of initiation of specialist palliative care
	Median (IQR)	15 (23)	21 (53)	30 (70)	26 (53)	<.001‡
	1–3 days	11 (9 to 13)	9 (4 to 13)	3 (2 to 4)	8 (3 to 13)	<.001
		78	14	17	11
	4–7 days	18 (15 to 21)	18 (12 to 24)	6 (4 to 8)	17 (11 to 23)
		127	29	36	23
	8–30 days	47 (43 to 51)	38 (31 to 46)	42 (38 to 46)	36 (28 to 45)
		330	62	240	50
	31–92 days	24 (20 to 27)	35 (28 to 43)	49 (45 to 53)	39 (31 to 47)
		165	57	278	53

IQR = inter-quartile range; CI = confidence interval.

Percentages are within-country percentages. Percentages are rounded and thus may not add up to 100.

Missing values: SPC n = 191 (4.3%); time of initiation of SPC n = 174 (3.9% of those who received SPC); palliative care by GP n = 55 (1.2%).

Palliative care categories are not mutually exclusive.

p-values based on multivariate analyses adjusted for age, sex, cause and place of death.

Kruskal-Wallis test (bivariate analysis).