Table 1.
Socio-demographics, clinical characteristics and community health care service use of study sample
| Entire cohort | Patients not experiencing any aggressive care | Patients experiencing aggressive care | QUALYCARE cohort | QUALYCARE patients experiencing aggressive care | IARE cohort | IARE patients experiencing aggressive care | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % | N | % | N | % | N | % | N | % | N | % | N | % | |
| 681 | 100 | 277 | 40.7 | 404 | 59.3 | 554 | 100 | 299 | 54.0 | 127 | 100 | 105 | 82.7 | |
| Age in years | ||||||||||||||
| <60 | 67 | 9.8 | 33 | 11.9 | 34 | 8.4 | 67 | 12.1 | 34 | 11.4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 60–69 | 141 | 20.7 | 49 | 17.7 | 92 | 22.8 | 112 | 20.2 | 66 | 22.1 | 29 | 22.8 | 26 | 24.8 |
| 70–79 | 191 | 28.1 | 69 | 24.9 | 122 | 30.2 | 140 | 25.3 | 82 | 27.4 | 51 | 40.1 | 40 | 38.1 |
| 80–89 | 228 | 33.5 | 105 | 37.9 | 123 | 30.5 | 190 | 34.3 | 91 | 30.4 | 38 | 29.9 | 32 | 30.5 |
| 90+ | 54 | 7.9 | 21 | 7.6 | 33 | 8.2 | 45 | 8.1 | 26 | 8.7 | 9 | 7.1 | 7 | 6.7 |
| Gender | ||||||||||||||
| Male | 341 | 50.1 | 127 | 45.9 | 214 | 53.0 | 282 | 50.9 | 166 | 44.5 | 59 | 46.5 | 48 | 45.7 |
| Female | 340 | 49.0 | 150 | 54.2 | 190 | 47.0 | 272 | 49.1 | 133 | 55.5 | 68 | 53.5 | 57 | 54.3 |
| Financial status | ||||||||||||||
| Living comfortably | 323 | 48.1 | 142 | 51.6 | 181 | 45.6 | 273 | 49.9 | 138 | 46.9 | 50 | 40.0 | 43 | 41.8 |
| Not living comfortably | 349 | 51.9 | 133 | 48.4 | 216 | 54.4 | 274 | 50.1 | 156 | 53.1 | 75 | 60.0 | 60 | 58.3 |
| Marital status | ||||||||||||||
| Married or with partner | 323 | 50.6 | 147 | 54.7 | 176 | 47.7 | 289 | 53.2 | 147 | 50.5 | 34 | 35.8 | 29 | 37.2 |
| Widowed | 191 | 29.9 | 77 | 28.6 | 114 | 30.9 | 154 | 28.4 | 84 | 28.9 | 37 | 39.0 | 30 | 38.5 |
| Divorced/Separated | 59 | 9.3 | 20 | 7.4 | 39 | 10.6 | 47 | 8.7 | 29 | 10.0 | 12 | 12.6 | 10 | 12.8 |
| Single | 65 | 10.2 | 25 | 9.3 | 40 | 10.8 | 53 | 9.8 | 31 | 10.7 | 12 | 12.6 | 9 | 11.5 |
| Living circumstances | ||||||||||||||
| Living alone | 203 | 30.3 | 77 | 28.3 | 126 | 31.7 | 379 | 69.8 | 198 | 67.6 | 87 | 69.1 | 73 | 70.2 |
| Living with others | 466 | 69.7 | 195 | 71.7 | 271 | 68.3 | 164 | 30.2 | 95 | 32.4 | 39 | 31.0 | 31 | 29.8 |
| Cancer type | ||||||||||||||
| Lung | 145 | 21.3 | 63 | 22.7 | 82 | 20.3 | 119 | 21.5 | 64 | 21.4 | 26 | 20.5 | 18 | 17.1 |
| Breast | 52 | 7.6 | 28 | 10.1 | 24 | 5.9 | 47 | 8.5 | 20 | 6.7 | 5 | 3.9 | 4 | 3.8 |
| Prostate | 46 | 6.8 | 8 | 2.9 | 38 | 9.4 | 37 | 6.7 | 30 | 10.0 | 9 | 7.1 | 8 | 7.6 |
| Gastrointestinal tract | 167 | 24.5 | 78 | 28.2 | 89 | 22.0 | 157 | 28.3 | 81 | 27.1 | 10 | 7.9 | 8 | 7.6 |
| Haematological | 54 | 7.9 | 9 | 3.3 | 45 | 11.1 | 34 | 6.1 | 28 | 9.4 | 20 | 15.8 | 17 | 16.2 |
| Cancer of unknown primary | 61 | 9.0 | 20 | 7.2 | 41 | 10.2 | 47 | 8.5 | 28 | 9.4 | 43 | 33.9 | 13 | 12.4 |
| Othera | 156 | 22.9 | 71 | 25.6 | 85 | 21.0 | 113 | 20.4 | 48 | 16.1 | 43 | 33.9 | 37 | 35.2 |
| Mobility at 3 months before death | ||||||||||||||
| No problem | 159 | 24.6 | 58 | 21.8 | 101 | 26.6 | 132 | 25.0 | 78 | 27.5 | 27 | 23.1 | 23 | 24.0 |
| Some problem | 423 | 65.5 | 176 | 66.2 | 247 | 65.0 | 350 | 66.2 | 184 | 64.8 | 73 | 62.4 | 63 | 65.6 |
| Confined to bed | 64 | 9.9 | 32 | 12.0 | 32 | 8.4 | 47 | 8.9 | 22 | 7.8 | 17 | 14.5 | 10 | 10.4 |
| Self-care at 3 months before death | ||||||||||||||
| No problem | 262 | 41.1 | 93 | 35.5 | 169 | 45.0 | 212 | 40.6 | 128 | 45.7 | 50 | 43.1 | 41 | 42.7 |
| Some problem | 259 | 40.6 | 120 | 45.8 | 139 | 37.0 | 215 | 41.2 | 102 | 36.4 | 44 | 37.9 | 37 | 38.5 |
| Unable to self-care | 117 | 18.3 | 49 | 18.7 | 68 | 18.1 | 95 | 18.2 | 50 | 17.9 | 22 | 19.0 | 18 | 18.8 |
| Activity at 3 months before death | ||||||||||||||
| No problem | 137 | 21.3 | 40 | 15.2 | 97 | 25.6 | 106 | 20.2 | 71 | 25.2 | 31 | 26.5 | 26 | 26.8 |
| Some problem | 286 | 44.5 | 127 | 48.1 | 159 | 42.0 | 241 | 45.8 | 121 | 42.9 | 45 | 38.5 | 38 | 39.2 |
| Unable to walk | 220 | 34.2 | 97 | 36.7 | 123 | 32.5 | 179 | 34.0 | 90 | 31.9 | 41 | 35.0 | 33 | 34.0 |
| Pain/Discomfort at 3 months before death | ||||||||||||||
| No pain | 113 | 17.7 | 46 | 17.4 | 67 | 17.9 | 97 | 18.6 | 54 | 19.3 | 16 | 13.8 | 13 | 13.7 |
| Some pain | 392 | 61.4 | 158 | 59.9 | 234 | 62.4 | 322 | 61.6 | 179 | 63.9 | 70 | 60.3 | 55 | 57.9 |
| Extreme pain | 134 | 21.0 | 60 | 22.7 | 74 | 19.7 | 104 | 19.9 | 47 | 16.8 | 30 | 25.9 | 27 | 28.4 |
| Anxiety/Depression at 3 months before death | ||||||||||||||
| No anxiety/depression | 223 | 35.5 | 91 | 35.1 | 132 | 35.8 | 176 | 34.1 | 97 | 35.0 | 47 | 42.0 | 35 | 38.0 |
| Some anxiety/depression | 316 | 50.3 | 128 | 49.4 | 188 | 51.0 | 267 | 51.7 | 146 | 52.7 | 49 | 43.8 | 42 | 45.7 |
| Extreme anxiety/depression | 89 | 14.2 | 40 | 15.4 | 49 | 13.3 | 73 | 14.2 | 34 | 12.3 | 16 | 14.3 | 15 | 16.3 |
| Number of GP home visits during the last 3 months of life | ||||||||||||||
| None | 181 | 31.4 | 46 | 19.1 | 135 | 40.3 | 138 | 29.2 | 96 | 37.9 | 43 | 41.8 | 39 | 47.6 |
| 1–5 | 338 | 58.7 | 159 | 66.0 | 179 | 53.4 | 287 | 60.7 | 141 | 55.7 | 51 | 49.5 | 38 | 46.3 |
| >5 | 57 | 9.9 | 36 | 14.9 | 21 | 6.3 | 48 | 10.2 | 16 | 6.3 | 9 | 8.7 | 5 | 6.1 |
| Community palliative care | ||||||||||||||
| No | 205 | 31.2 | 36 | 13.2 | 169 | 43.9 | 156 | 29.0 | 121 | 42.2 | 49 | 40.8 | 48 | 49.0 |
| Yes | 453 | 68.8 | 237 | 86.8 | 216 | 56.1 | 382 | 71.0 | 166 | 57.8 | 71 | 59.2 | 50 | 51.0 |
| District nurse | ||||||||||||||
| No | 227 | 34.7 | 56 | 20.8 | 171 | 44.4 | 172 | 32.2 | 121 | 42.2 | 55 | 45.8 | 50 | 51.0 |
| Yes | 427 | 65.3 | 213 | 79.2 | 214 | 55.6 | 362 | 67.8 | 166 | 57.8 | 65 | 54.2 | 48 | 49.0 |
aOther cancers included those of the urinary tract (5.0 %), gynaecological (3.8 %), central nervous system (3.8 %) and skin (1.8 %) with percentage figures referring to entire cohort data