Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics: Residents with Later Initial Palliative Care (PC) Consultations (30 Days before death) and Earlier Initial PC Consultations (31 to 180 Days before Death), and Their Potential Matched Controls
| Timing of Initial Palliative Care Consultations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Later Consultations | Earlier Consultations | |||
|
|
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| Characteristics | Potential Matchesa (n=1586) | Palliative Care Consultations (n=112) | Potential Matches (n=1170) | Palliative Care Consultations (n=91) |
| Age at baseline | ||||
| 40 to 74 | 6.1% | 4.5% | 5.6% | 15.4% |
| 75 to 79 | 9.6% | 16.1% | 8.6% | 11.0% |
| 79 to 84 | 18.6% | 25.0% | 19.2% | 27.5% |
| 85 to 89 | 26.4% | 17.0% | 27.0% | 23.1% |
| 90 to 94 | 26.0% | 28.6% | 25.7% | 16.5% |
| 95 and older | 13.2% | 8.9% | 13.9% | 6.6% |
| Male | 33.2% | 42.9%* | 29.2% | 33.0% |
| Non-White | 3.4% | 6.3% | 3.6% | 7.7% |
| Married | 23.6% | 31.3% | 21.7% | 20.9% |
| Do-Not-Resuscitate Order | 80.0% | 80.4% | 81.3% | 76.9% |
| Do-Not-Hospitalize Order | 16.1% | 8.0%* | 12.6% | 4.4%* |
| Cancer | 16.6% | 19.6% | 14.7% | 9.9% |
| Cognitive Performance Scale | ||||
| Moderate/Moderate Severe Impairment (3–4) | 58.3% | 66.1% | 67.4% | 80.2% |
| Severe Impairment (5) | 20.0% | 21.4% | 15.6% | 11.0% |
| Very Severe Impairment (6) | 21.8% | 12.5% | 16.9% | 8.8% |
| ADL scorec | 21.82 | 20.98 | 20.42 | 19.27 |
| Short NH Stay (<90 days) | 25.1% | 40.2% | 13.6% | 11.0% |
| Cognitive/ADL changed | 73.9% | 78.6% | 69.3 % | 84.6% |
| Any hospitalizations in 90 day prior to baseline | 31.4% | 51.8% | 28.1% | 52.8% |
Abbreviations: ADL, activities of daily living; MDS, minimum data set; NH, nursing home; NP, nurse practitioners; PA, physician assistants
a
Residents who died in the same study years and NHs and had the requisite Minimum Data Set assessment
b
ADL score ranges from 0–28 where 0=independent and 28=totally dependent.
c
Cognitive/ADL change represents unstable, worsening, or declining status.