Table 4.
Correlates of late referral status among home hospice deaths (N = 160)
| % late | % Non-late | OR | 95% CI | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multivariable model of sociodemographic correlates | |||||
| Sex | |||||
| Female | 25.0 | 47.6 | 1.00 | (ref) | (ref) |
| Male | 75.0 | 52.4 | 7.09 | 2.45–24.26 | <.001 |
| Age (y) | |||||
| Age <65 | 55.6 | 51.6 | 1.00 | (ref) | (ref) |
| Age >65 | 44.4 | 48.4 | 2.07 | 0.80–5.71 | .143 |
| Marital status | |||||
| Not married | 47.2 | 44.4 | 1.00 | (ref) | (ref) |
| Married | 52.8 | 55.6 | 0.71 | 0.28–1.79 | .465 |
| English | |||||
| English is primary language | 83.3 | 89.5 | 1.00 | (ref) | (ref) |
| English is not primary language | 16.7 | 10.5 | 0.70 | 0.16–2.74 | .623 |
| Race/ethnicity | |||||
| Non-Hispanic | 52.8 | 64.5 | 1.00 | (ref) | (ref) |
| Hispanic | 16.7 | 13.7 | 1.37 | 0.35–4.91 | .633 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 13.9 | 8.9 | 0.53 | 0.10–2.35 | .428 |
| African American | 11.1 | 6.5 | 1.88 | 0.38–8.47 | .417 |
| Other/unknown | 5.6 | 6.5 | 1.23 | 0.17–6.12 | .812 |
| Payer | |||||
| Medicare or private insurance | 63.9 | 83.1 | 1.00 | (ref) | (ref) |
| Medicaid or charitable care insurance | 36.1 | 16.9 | 6.35 | 1.85–23.89 | .004 |
| Health care proxy status | |||||
| Yes | 44.4 | 69.4 | 1.00 | (ref) | (ref) |
| No | 55.6 | 30.6 | 3.68 | 1.53–9.25 | .004 |
| Bivariate model of clinical correlates at admission | |||||
| Palliative performance scale score <30% | 88.9 | 47.6 | 8.71 | 2.85–35.89 | <.001 |
| Bedbound | 97.2 | 61.3 | 21.85 | 3.42–912.20 | <.001 |
| Aphasic | 61.1 | 20.2 | 6.13 | 2.59–15.02 | <.001 |
| Unresponsive | 38.9 | 4.0 | 14.76 | 4.47–57.96 | <.001 |
| Incontinent | 36.1 | 43.5 | 0.73 | 0.31–1.67 | .450 |
| Pain | 19.4 | 21.8 | 0.87 | 0.29–2.32 | .482 |
| Nausea | 5.6 | 10.5 | 0.50 | 0.05–2.40 | .523 |
| Shortness of breath | 27.8 | 9.7 | 3.55 | 1.23–10.12 | .011 |
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio