Table 2.
Baseline Demographic and Clinical Characteristics
| Characteristic | Patients Not Experiencing Any Aggressive Care (n = 83,158) | Patients Experiencing Any Aggressive Care (n = 24,095) | Total (n = 107,253) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean ± SD, y | 71.92 ± 12.84 | 68.14 ± 12.85 | 71.07 ± 12.94 |
| Female, No. (%) | 40,832 (49.1) | 10,329 (42.9) | 51,161 (47.7) |
| Charlson score per point, mean ± SD | 5.11 ± 2.65 | 5.63 ± 2.41 | 5.23 ± 2.61 |
| Duration of disease, mean ± SD, y | 3.43 ± 5.28 | 3.17 ± 5.05 | 3.37 ± 5.23 |
| Cancer type, No. (%) | |||
| Breast | 6976 (8.4) | 1950 (8.1) | 8926 (8.3) |
| Colorectal | 9715 (11.7) | 2464 (10.2) | 12,179 (11.4) |
| Hematologic | 6763 (8.1) | 3399 (14.1) | 10,162 (9.5) |
| Lung | 19,678 (23.7) | 5937 (24.6) | 25,615 (23.9) |
| Prostate | 5196 (6.2) | 1147 (4.8) | 6343 (5.9) |
| Other | 34,830 (41.9) | 9198 (38.2) | 44,028 (41.1) |
| Income quintile, No. (%) | |||
| Highest | 15,634 (18.8) | 4392 (18.2) | 20,026 (18.7) |
| Second highest | 15,627 (18.8) | 4530 (18.8) | 20,157 (18.8) |
| Middle | 15,945 (19.2) | 4782 (19.8) | 20,727 (19.3) |
| Second lowest | 17,719 (21.3) | 5291 (22.0) | 23,010 (21.5) |
| Lowest | 17,763 (21.4) | 5004 (20.8) | 22,767 (21.2) |
| Rural residence, No. (%) | 11,503 (13.8) | 4484 (18.6) | 15,987 (14.9) |
| Region of residence, No. (% by LHIN) | |||
| 01. Erie–St. Clair | 4879 (5.9) | 1437 (6.0) | 6316 (5.9) |
| 02. South West | 6835 (8.2) | 2169 (9.0) | 9004 (8.4) |
| 03. Waterloo | 4328 (5.2) | 1150 (4.8) | 5478 (5.1) |
| 04. Hamilton | 11,530 (13.9) | 2893 (12.0) | 14,423 (13.4) |
| 05. Central West | 3024 (3.6) | 1075 (4.5) | 4099 (3.8) |
| 06. Mississauga | 5404 (6.5) | 1439 (6.0) | 6843 (6.4) |
| 07. Toronto | 7228 (8.7) | 1707 (7.1) | 8935 (8.3) |
| 08. Central | 8075 (9.7) | 2532 (10.5) | 10,607 (9.9) |
| 09. Central East | 9290 (11.2) | 2973 (12.3) | 12,263 (11.4) |
| 10. South East | 4174 (5.0) | 1268 (5.3) | 5442 (5.1) |
| 11. Champlain | 8298 (10.0) | 2017 (8.4) | 10,315 (9.6) |
| 12. North Simcoe | 3181 (3.8) | 1210 (5.0) | 4391 (4.1) |
| 13. North East | 4937 (5.9) | 1682 (7.0) | 6619 (6.2) |
| 14. North West | 1804 (2.2) | 533 (2.2) | 2337 (2.2) |
| Designated palliative, No. (%) | 56,674 (68.2) | 13,041 (54.1) | 69,715 (65.0) |
| Quality measures, No. (%) | |||
| >1 ED visit in last 30 d of life | 0 (0.0) | 15,812 (65.6) | 15,812 (14.7) |
| Chemotherapy in last 14 d of life | 0 (0.0) | 3893 (16.2) | 3893 (3.6) |
| ICU admission in last 30 d of life | 0 (0.0) | 5923 (24.6) | 5923 (5.5) |
| >1 hospitalization in last 30 d of life | 0 (0.0) | 6765 (28.1) | 6765 (6.3) |
Abbreviations: ED, emergency department; ICU, intensive care unit; LHIN, local health integration network; SD, standard deviation.