Table 2.
Summary of Hospice Patient Characteristics by Residence
| Demographic Characteristic | Community Dwelling (N=246) | Nursing Home (N= 166)* | p-value** |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient Sex | |||
| Female | 136 (55.3%) | 122 (73.5%) | .0002 |
| Male | 110 (44.7%) | 44 (26.5%) | |
| Patient Age (years) | |||
| Mean (standard deviation) | 76.2 (13.7) | 86.0 (9.8) | <.0001 |
| 21–50 years | 7 (2.9) | 0 (0) | <.0001 |
| 51–60 years | 29 (11.8) | 5 (3.0) | |
| 61–70 years | 54 (22.0) | 6 (3.6) | |
| 71 or more years | 154 (62.6) | 154 (92.8) | |
| Unknown | 2 (.8) | 1 (.6) | |
| Patient Race | |||
| Caucasian | 223 (90.7%) | 156 (94.0%) | .36 |
| African American | 17 (4.3%) | 6 (3.6%) | |
| Other | 6 (2.4%) | 4 (2.4%) | |
| Patient Education | |||
| Less than high school | 47 (19.1%) | 42 (25.3%) | .16 |
| High school/GED | 76 (30.9%) | 60 (36.1%) | |
| Some college/trade school | 56 (22.8%) | 32 (19.3%) | |
| College/graduate/professional degree | 46 (18.7%) | 19 (11.5%) | |
| Other/unknown | 1 (8.5%) | 13 (7.8%) | |
| Patient Marital status | |||
| Married | 114 (46.3%) | 30 (18.1%) | <.0001 |
| Divorced | 34 (13.8%) | 23 (13.9%) | |
| Widowed | 78 (31.7%) | 108 (65.0%) | |
| Other | 20 (8.1%) | 5 (3.0%) | |
| Patient Primary diagnosis | |||
| Cancer | 103 (41.9%) | 19 (11.5%) | <.0001 |
| Dementia | 14 (5.7%) | 18 (10.8%) | |
| Other | 129 (52.4%) | 129 (77.7%) | |
| Patient PPS at study enrollment† | |||
| Mean (standard deviation) | 43.8 (11.3) | 37.7 (7.93) | <.0001 |
*
8 Residents who transferred into or out of a nursing home during their study enrollment were excluded from both groups.
**
Chi-square analysis for categorical variables, t-test for mean age.
†
Palliative Performance Scale