Table 4.
Difference between those patients that were identified as in need of palliative care and all others
| Deceased patients who were identified as in need of palliative care | Deceased patients without those identified | |
|---|---|---|
| (N = 49) | (N = 428) | |
| Age mean (sd) | 64.8 (12.1) | 74.6 (13.7) |
| Male sex n (%) | 30/49 (61 %) | 219/409 (54 %) |
| Primary diagnosis n (%) | ||
| Cancer | 42/49 (86 %) | 287/436 (66 %) |
| CHF | 2/49 (4 %) | 82/436 (19 %) |
| COPD | 4/49 (8 %) | 41/436 (9 %) |
| Combination of cancer, COPD, CHF | 1/49 (2 %) | 26/436 (6 %) |
| Contact(s) with out-of-hours GP service last 3 months n (%) | 24/47 (51 %) | 247/430 (57 %) |
| By phone | 1.26 (4.9) | 0.74 (1.4) |
| Consultation at service | 0.04 (0.2) | 0.08 (0.4) |
| Home visits | 0.64 (1.1) | 1.05 (2.1) |
| Total | 1.94 (5.2) | 1.88 (2.8) |
| Contact(s) with own GP last month n (%) | 45/49 (92 %) | 393/431 (91 %) |
| By phone office hours means | 3.14 (3.8) | 2.47 (2.8) |
| Home visits office hours means | 8.27 (6.7) | 4.55 (3.8) |
| By phone out of office hours | 0.46 (1.2) | 0.11 (0.5) |
| Home visits out of office hours | 1.02 (1.7) | 0.35 (1.0) |
| Total mean | 13.00 (9.8) | 7.48 (6.0) |
| Location of death n (%) | ||
| Home | 33/49 (67 %) | 194/428 (45 %) |
| Hospital | 7/49 (14 %) | 138/428 (32 %) |
| Nursing home | 5/49 (10 %) | 24/428 (6 %) |
| Care home | 0/49 (0 %) | 33/428 (8 %) |
| Hospice | 4/49 (8 %) | 35/428 (8 %) |
| Other location | 0/49 (0 %) | 4/428 (1 %) |
| Hospital admission(s) last 3 months n (%) | 20/48 (42 %) | 255/417 (61 %) |
| Hospital admissions last 3 months mean (sd) | 0.60 (1.0) | 0.89 (0.9) |
Data are mean (sd) or n/N (%). Some percentages do not sum to 100 % because of rounding