Table 2.
Characteristics of patients and family members
| Characteristic | Intervention Patients (N = 14) | Intervention Family Members (N = 18) | Control A: Palliative Care ICU Patients (N = 25) | Control B: Medical ICU Family Members (N = 49) | Control B: Medical ICU Patients (N = 39) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), yr | 77 (6.9) | 59.1 (13.9) | 66.3 (12.0) | 53.7 (15.4) | 55.3 (16.7) |
| Female sex, n (%) | 6 (43) | 9 (50) | 9 (36) | 37 (75) | 20 (74) |
| Race, n (%) | |||||
| American Indian/Alaskan Native | 1 (7) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Black | 9 (64) | 12 (67) | 6 | 10 (20) | 6 (21) |
| White | 4 (29) | 6 (33) | 17 | 39 (80) | 21 (79) |
| Hispanic ethnicity, n (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Comorbidity scale, mean (SD) | 2.6 (1.3) | — | 2.5 (1.9) | — | 2.1 (1.7) |
| Activities of daily living limitations, mean (SD) | 4.3 (3.3) | — | — | — | — |
| APACHE II, mean (SD) | 34.1 (6.3) | — | 23.1 (7.4) | — | 30.1 (8.6) |
| Trigger criterion met, n (%)* | |||||
| Age ≥70 + ventilator for ≥48 h | 10 (71) | — | 5 (20) | — | 8 (21) |
| Age ≥70 yr + ≥3 activities of daily living limitations | 2 (14) | — | 7 (28) | — | 9 (23) |
| Dementia + ventilator for ≥48 h | 2 (14) | — | 2 (8) | — | 4 (10) |
| Nursing home resident before ICU admission | 2 (14) | — | 1 (4) | — | 1 (3) |
| Stroke or intracranial hemorrhage + ventilator for ≥48 h | 2 (14) | — | 4 (16) | — | 6 (15) |
| Cardiac arrest + ventilator for ≥48 h | 1 (7) | — | 3 (12) | — | 1 (3) |
| Insurance | |||||
| Medicare | 12 (86) | — | — | ||
| Commercial | 2 (14) | — | — | ||
| ICU | |||||
| Medical | 6 (43) | — | 14 (56) | 39 (100) | |
| Neurological | 3 (21) | — | — | — | |
| Surgical | 2 (14) | — | 11 (44) | — | |
| Cardiac | 1 (7) | — | — | — | |
| Mixed medical-surgical | 1 (7) | — | — | — | |
| Primary ICU admission diagnosis | |||||
| Septic shock, n (%) | 6 (43) | — | 3 (12) | — | 8 (21) |
| Intracerebral hemorrhage, n (%) | 2 (14) | — | 2 (8) | — | 3 (8) |
| Cardiac arrest, n (%) | 1 (7) | — | — | — | 1 (3) |
| Hemorrhagic shock, n (%) | 1 (7) | — | 2 (8) | — | 2 (5) |
| Pneumonia, n (%) | 1 (7) | — | 9 (36) | — | 18 (46) |
| Cardiogenic shock, n (%) | 1 (7) | — | 1 (4) | — | 3 (8) |
| Postperative, n (%) | 1 (7) | — | 4 (16) | — | 0 |
| Seizure, n (%) | 1 (7) | — | — | — | 0 |
| Cancer complications, n (%) | — | — | 4 (16) | — | 4 (10) |
| Relationship to patient, n (%) | |||||
| Spouse or partner | — | 10 (56) | — | 28 (57) | — |
| Child | — | 6 (33) | — | 5 (10) | — |
| Parent | — | 1 (6) | — | 7 (14) | — |
| Other | — | 1 (6) | — | 9 (18) | — |
| Live with patient | — | 8 (44) | — | 28 (57) | — |
| Education | |||||
| <High school | — | 1 (6) | — | 0 | — |
| High school or trade school | — | 4 (22) | — | 12 (24) | — |
| <College | — | 4 (22) | — | 9 (18) | — |
| College | — | 5 (28) | — | 17 (35) | — |
| Graduate school | — | 4 (22) | — | 11 (22) | — |
Definition of abbreviations: APACHE II = Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II; ICU = intensive care unit.
*
Some patients met more than one trigger criterion.