Table 3.
Differences in patient and care characteristics of patients who were included on the PaTz register or nota
| Not in register (n= 102) | On register (n= 188) | OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient characteristics | |||
|
| |||
| Patient age, years, mean (SD) | 79.6 (12.5) | 72.4 (12.6) | 0.971 (0.949 to 0.994) |
|
| |||
| Patient sex, female, n (%) | 61 (59.8) | 84 (44.7) | 0.774 (0.452 to 1.326) |
|
| |||
| Cause of death, cancer, n (%) | 54 (52.9) | 148 (78.7) | 2.535 (1.418 to 4.532) |
|
| |||
| Care characteristics | |||
|
| |||
| Preferred place of death is known by GP, n (%) | 89 (88.1) | 178 (97.3) | 3.804 (1.185 to 12.208) |
|
| |||
| Place of death, n (%) | |||
| Home/with family | 60 (58.8) | 138 (73.4) | 1 (ref) |
| Nursing home | 1 (1.0) | 1 (0.5) | 0.718 (0.033 to 15.551) |
| Care home | 14 (13.7) | 9 (4.8) | 1.363 (0.466 to 3.993) |
| Hospital | 14 (13.7) | 14 (7.4) | 0.509 (0.206 to 1.255) |
| Hospice | 13 (12.7) | 26 (13.8) | 1.397 (0.610 to 3.199) |
|
| |||
| Number of hospitalisations in last 30 days, n (%) | |||
| 0 | 59 (57.8) | 119 (63.3) | 1 (ref) |
| 1 | 32 (31.4) | 50 (26.6) | 0.640 (0.350 to 1.168) |
| ≥2 | 11 (10.8) | 19 (10.1) | 0.487 (0.200 to 1.188) |
|
| |||
| How long before death did you consider a possible death within 6 months or sooner? n (%) | |||
| >6 months | 21 (20.6) | 79 (42.5) | 1 (ref) |
| 3–6 months | 34 (33.3) | 66 (35.5) | 0.468 (0.231 to 0.950) |
| 1 or 2 months | 19 (18.6) | 27 (14.5) | 0.322 (0.139 to 0.747) |
| Between 1 month and 1 week | 16 (15.7) | 13 (7.0) | 0.213 (0.081 to 0.558) |
| In the last week | 12 (11.8) | 1 (0.5) | 0.022 (0.002 to 0.199) |
|
| |||
| How long before death was treatment aimed at comfort or palliation? n (%) | |||
| >6 months | 19 (19.0) | 50 (26.7) | 1 (ref) |
| 3–6 months | 19 (19.0) | 55 (29.4) | 0.844 (0.365 to 1.951) |
| 1 or 2 months | 15 (15.0) | 45 (24.1) | 0.792 (0.330 to 1.901) |
| Between 1 month and 1 week | 26 (26.0) | 26 (13.9) | 0.265 (0.111 to 0.632) |
| In the last week, or not at all | 21 (21.0) | 11 (5.9) | 0.172 (0.061 to 0.482) |
|
| |||
| Patient has been discussed during a PaTz meeting, n (%) | 11 (10.8) | 146 (77.7) | 30.265 (13.739 to 66.670) |
|
| |||
| Conversations on: n (%) | |||
| Main diagnosis | 59 (57.8) | 138 (73.8) | 1.548 (0.881 to 2.720) |
| Incurability of disease | 76 (74.5) | 160 (85.6) | 1.210 (0.601 to 2.438) |
| Life expectancy | 62 (60.8) | 152 (81.3) | 2.662 (1.466 to 4.834) |
| Possible medical complications | 47 (46.1) | 104 (55.6) | 1.122 (0.652 to 1.929) |
| Physical complaints | 70 (68.6) | 161 (86.1) | 2.173 (1.146 to 4.119) |
| Psychological issues | 48 (47.1) | 115 (61.5) | 1.471 (0.866 to 2.500) |
| Social or societal issues | 28 (27.5) | 63 (33.7) | 1.143 (0.637 to 2.052) |
| Spiritual or existential issues | 23 (22.5) | 64 (34.2) | 1.986 (1.054 to 3.742) |
| Possibilities of palliative care | 62 (60.8) | 157 (84.0) | 2.460 (1.318 to 4.591) |
| Burden of treatment | 44 (43.1) | 84 (44.9) | 1.011 (0.591 to 1.728) |
| Wishes regarding (non-)treatment | 69 (67.6) | 132 (70.6) | 1.103 (0.625 to 1.945) |
a
OR = odds ratio and CI; multilevel analysis adjusted for PaTz group, age, and sex of the patient, and cause of death (cancer versus other). Number of missing values ranges between 0 and 6 (for knowledge on preferred place of death). Results in bold: P<0.05. PaTz = PAlliatieve Thuis Zorg, palliative care at home. Ref = reference. SD = standard deviation.