Table 3.
Factors associated with opting out of palliative care among newly registered patients in the Manjeri Palliative Care Unit, Kerala during 2013–2015
| Variables | N | Opted out of care N (%) | Unadjusted RR(95%CI) | p-value | Adjusted RR(95%CI) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age groupa | < 0.001 | |||||
| ≤ 60 | 165 | 27(16) | 5.1(2.7–9.8) | 3.7 (1.9–7.4) | < 0.001 | |
| > 60 years | 375 | 12(3) | ref | ref | ||
| Sexa | 0.3 | |||||
| Male | 265 | 22(8) | 1.4 (0.8–2.6) | – | – | |
| Female | 280 | 17(6) | ref | – | – | |
| Socio-economic statusa,b | 0.25 | |||||
| Poor | 260 | 21(8) | 1.9(0.6–5.5) | – | – | |
| Middle class/Wealthy | 244 | 16(7) | ref | – | – | |
| Type of care-giver | 0.09 | |||||
| Spouse | 168 | 13 (8) | 0.9(0.5–1.7) | – | – | |
| Other | 372 | 27 (7) | ref | – | – | |
| Primary clinical | < 0.001 | |||||
| diagnosis | ||||||
| Cancer | 151 | 11(7) | 0.9 (0.5–1.9) | 0.7 (0.4–1.4) | 0.3 | |
| Serious Mental Illness | 33 | 9(27) | 3.7 (1.8–7.5) | 1.9 (1.3–3.8) | 0.01 | |
| Other | 244 | 18(8) | ref | ref | ||
| CVA | 123 | 2(2) | 0.2(0.05–0.9) | 0.3 (0.08–0.9) | 0.04 | |
| Number of home visits in first year of enrollment by doctor | 0.03 | |||||
| ≤1 | 293 | 31 (10) | 2.9(1.4–6.1) | 2.4 (1.2–6.0) | 0.03 | |
| > 1 | 247 | 9(4) | ref | ref | ||
| Number of home visits the first year of enrollment by nurse | 0.019 | |||||
| ≤ 5 | 283 | 28 (4) | 2.1(1.1–4.1) | 1.2(0.7–2.7) | 0.1 | |
| > 5 | 257 | 12 (2) | ref | ref |
CVA Cardiovascular Accident, RR Relative Risk, CI Confidence Interval
adata missing
bThis is based on the clinic’s standard assessment of a patient’s socio-economic status depending on whether the breadwinner is ill and the level of economic self sufficiency of the family
$Other include children, daughters-in-law, parents, sisters-in-law and hired caregivers
Figures in bold font indicate significant p value (< 0.05)