Table 1.
Resident characteristics by POLST completion (Last Section S in 2011)*
| All residents, N = 289,753 | Completed POLST, ** N = 142,672 | No POLST or Incomplete POLST, ** N = 147,081 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) | 77.6 (13.5) | 78.7 (12.8) | 76.5 (14.0) |
| Female, N (%) | 176,559 (61 %) | 88,943 (62 %) | 87,616 (60 %) |
| Race/ethnicity, N (%) | |||
| White, non-Hispanic | 193,689 (67 %) | 97,566 (68 %) | 96,123 (65 %) |
| Hispanic | 38,468 (13 %) | 16,605 (12 %) | 21,863 (15 %) |
| Black | 23,921 (8 %) | 11,180 (8 %) | 12,472 (9 %) |
| Asian | 21,723 (8 %) | 10,699 (8 %) | 11,024 (8 %) |
| Other/unknown | 11,962 (4 %) | 6,622 (5 %) | 5,330 (3 %) |
| Long-stay resident***, N (%) | 93,480 (32 %) | 53,403 (37 %) | 40,077 (27 %) |
| Short-stay resident, N (%) | 196,273 (68 %) | 89,269 (63 %) | 107,004 (73 %) |
| Activities of daily living summary score, N (%) (N = 277,937) | |||
| 0–7 (least dependent) | 31,574 (11 %) | 13,915 (10 %) | 17,659 (13 %) |
| 8–14 | 63,435 (23 %) | 30,215 (22 %) | 33,220 (24 %) |
| 15–20 | 98,737 (36 %) | 51,287 (37 %) | 47,450 (34 %) |
| 21–28 (most dependent) | 84,191 (30 %) | 43,565 (31 %) | 40,626 (29 %) |
| Cognitive impairment, **** N (%) (N = 276,535) | |||
| None | 140,542 (51 %) | 67,763 (49 %) | 72,779 (53 %) |
| Mild/moderate | 41,461 (15 %) | 21,631 (16 %) | 19,830 (14 %) |
| Severe | 94, 532 (34 %) | 49,169 (35 %) | 45,363 (33 %) |
*Data reflect the last Section S MDS assessment completed in 2011 for each resident. Completed POLST compared to No POLST or Incomplete POLST differed for each variable at p < 0.001
**A completed POLST form was defined as having any order in Section A and signatures of both the resident (or appropriate proxy) and physician. Incomplete POLST forms were missing Section A or at least one signature
***Long stay is defined as >100 consecutive days in the nursing home
****Cognitive impairment measured by the Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS): none = BIMS score 13–15 or not impaired by staff assessment; mild/moderate = BIMS score 8–12; severe = BIMS score 0–7 or impaired by staff assessment or comatose
Resident characteristics were similar for the first MDS Section S completed and are provided in Online Appendix, Table 3