Table 1.
Characteristics of Decedents and Respondents
| Decedent Characteristics | 3 month (n=537) | 6 month (n=529) | 9 month (n=467) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site of death (n, %) | |||
| Home | 224 (41.7) | 209 (39.5) | 179 (38.3) |
| Nursing home | 174 (32.4) | 182 (34.4) | 165 (35.3) |
| Inpatient unit | 139 (25.9) | 138 (26.1) | 123 (26.3) |
| Patient age (mean, 95% CI) | 78.9 (77.7-80.1) | 78.5 (77.3-79.8) | 78.5 (77.2-79.8) |
| Patient gender (%, 95% CI) | |||
| Female | 54.9 (50.7-59.2) | 56.5 (52.3-60.8) | 54.4 (49.9-58.9) |
| Patient race (%, 95% CI) | |||
| Non-Hispanic White | 70.9 (67.1-74.8) | 71.1 (67.2-75.0) | 73.7 (69.7-77.8) |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 18.1 (14.8-21.3) | 18.7 (15.4-22.0) | 16.5 (13.1-19.9) |
| Hispanic | 7.3 (5.1-9.5) | 7.0 (4.8-9.2) | 6.0 (3.8-8.2) |
| Multiracial/Other | 3.5 (1.0-6.2) | 3.0 (0.8-5.5) | 3.2 (0.9-5.5) |
| Patient education (%, 95% CI) | |||
| Less than high school | 26.8 (23.1-30.6) | 24.3 (20.6-28.0) | 25.0 (21.0-29.0) |
| High school graduate/GED | 34.3 (30.3-38.4) | 34.2 (30.1-38.8) | 33.7 (29.4-38.0) |
| Some college or higher | 38.8 (34.7-43.0) | 41.5 (37.3-45.7) | 41.3 (36.8-45.8) |
| Primary diagnosis (%, 95% CI) | |||
| Cancer | 42.1 (37.9-46.3) | 43.3 (39.1-47.5) | 43.5 (39.0-48.0) |
| Heart/circulatory disease | 9.9 (7.3-12.4) | 10.0 (7.5-12.6) | 10.5 (7.7-13.3) |
| Lung/breathing disease | 8.2 (5.9-10.5) | 8.7 (6.3-11.1) | 6.9 (4.6-9.2) |
| Kidney disease | 3.7 (2.1-5.3) | 3.2 (1.7-4.7) | 3.2 (1.6-4.8) |
| Liver disease | 2.8 (1.4-4.2) | 2.1 (0.9-3.3) | 2.8 (1.3-4.3) |
| Stroke | 3.2 (1.7-4.7) | 4.0 (2.3-5.6) | 4.3 (2.4-6.1) |
| Dementia/Alzheimer's | 11.2 (8.5-13.8) | 12.7 (9.8-15.5) | 12.6 (9.6-15.7) |
| AIDS/other infectious diseases | 0.4 (−0.1-0.9) | 0.6 (−0.1-1.2) | 0.4 (−0.2-1.0) |
| Frailty and decline due to old age | 11.0 (8.3-13.6) | 9.5 (7.0-12.0) | 10.5 (7.7-13.3) |
| Other | 7.1 (4.9-9.3) | 5.5 (3.5-7.4) | 4.9 (3.0-6.9) |
| Length of hospice stay in days (median, 25th-95th percentile) | 14 (6-60) | 14 (6-60) | 14 (6-60) |
| Length of hospice stay <=7 days (%, 95% CI) | 36.4 (32.1-40.8) | 35.4 (32.2-39.9) | 34.9 (30.2-39.5) |
| Respondent Characteristics | |||
| Respondent age (mean, 95% CI) | 61.6 (60.5-62.6) | 61.7 (60.6-62.7) | 62.1 (61.0-63.2) |
| Respondent gender (%, 95% CI) | |||
| Female | 74.7 (71.0-78.4) | 73.3 (69.6-77.1) | 75.6 (71.7-79.5) |
| Respondent race (%, 95% CI) | |||
| Non-Hispanic White | 70.1 (66.9-74.6) | 71.1 (67.2-75.0) | 75.2 (71.2-79.1) |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 17.7 (14.5-20.9) | 18.1 (14.9-21.4) | 16.1 (12.7-19.4) |
| Hispanic | 7.4 (5.2-9.7) | 7.6 (5.3-9.8) | 6.2 (4.0-8.4) |
| Multiracial/Other | 3.5 (0.8-6.3) | 3.2 (0.6-5.8) | 2.6 (0.2-4.9) |
| Respondent education (%, 95% CI) | |||
| Less than high school | 7.1 (4.9-9.3) | 6.6 (4.5-8.8) | 7.7 (5.3-10.2) |
| High school graduate/GED | 24.5 (20.8-28.1) | 26.7 (22.9-30.5) | 25.1 (21.2-29.1) |
| Some college or higher | 68.4 (64.5-72.4) | 66.7 (62.6-70.7) | 67.2 (62.9-71.4) |
| Relationship to patient (%, 95% CI) | |||
| Spouse/partner | 32.4 (27.5-37.3) | 32.5 (27.6-37.4) | 33.0 (27.8-38.2) |
| Child | 51.2 (47.0-55.5) | 50.5 (46.2-54.7) | 49.9 (45.3-54.4) |
| Parent | 1.3 (0.3-2.3) | 1.7 (0.6-2.8) | 1.9 (0.7-3.2) |
| Sibling | 6.5 (4.4-8.6) | 5.5 (3.5-7.4) | 4.9 (3.0-6.9) |
| Other relative | 1.7 (0.6-2.8) | 2.1 (0.9-3.3) | 3.2 (1.6-4.8) |
| Friend | 1.3 (0.3-2.7) | 1.3 (0.3-2.3) | 1.3 (0.3-2.3) |
| Other | 5.6 (3.6-7.5) | 5.9 (3.9-7.9) | 5.1 (3.1-7.1) |
| Previous experience caring for dying (%, 95% CI) | 41.7 (37.5-45.9) | 38.9 (34.8-43.1) | 42.0 (37.5-46.5) |
| Previous experience with hospice (%, 95% CI) | 34.1 (30.1-38.1) | 31.2 (27.2-35.2) | 35.1 (30.8-39.5) |
| Involved in medical decisions (%, 95% CI) | 98.7 (97.7-99.7) | 97.7 (96.5-99.0) | 98.3 (97.1-99.5) |
| Power of attorney or health care proxy (%, 95% CI) | 78.4 (74.9-81.9) | 78.1 (74.5-81.6) | 76.0 (72.1-79.9) |
| Involved in care (%, 95% CI) | |||
| Always | 79.3 (75.9-82.8) | 76.4 (72.7-80.0) | 78.2 (74.4-81.9) |
| Usually | 12.8 (10.0-15.7) | 15.9 (12.8-19.0) | 12.6 (9.6-15.7) |
| Sometimes | 7.3 (5.1-9.5) | 7.2 (5.0-9.4) | 8.4 (5.8-10.9) |
| Involved in treatment decisions in last week of life (%, 95% CI) | |||
| Not at all | 1.5 (0.5-2.5) | 1.7 (0.6-2.8) | 1.7 (0.5-2.9) |
| A little bit | 3.0 (1.5-4.4) | 5.3 (3.4-7.2) | 2.4 (1.0-3.7) |
| Somewhat | 7.4 (5.2-9.7) | 6.0 (4.0-8.1) | 9.0 (6.4-11.6) |
| Very much | 87.7 (84.9-90.5) | 86.4 (83.5-89.3) | 86.1 (82.9-89.2) |
| Number of days of contact with patient in last week of life (mean, 95% CI) | 6.2 (6.0-6.3) | 6.1 (6.0-6.3) | 6.2 (6.1-6.4) |
| Completed 3-month survey only (%) | 11.4 | n/a | n/a |
| Completed 6-month survey only (%) | n/a | 7.5 | n/a |