Table 1.
Characteristics of surrogate decision-makers at enrollment
| Characteristic | Surrogates (n = 306) |
|---|---|
| Age, mean (95% CI), yr | 51 (49.3–52.4) |
| Female sex, n (%) | 218 (71) |
| Race, n (%) | |
| Black | 72 (24) |
| White | 193 (63) |
| Other | 41 (13) |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 38 (12) |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 267 (88) |
| Marital Status, n (%) | |
| Married/live with partner | 207 (68) |
| Separated/divorced | 38 (12) |
| Single/widowed | 61 (20) |
| Education, n (%) | |
| Advanced degree | 53 (17) |
| College graduate | 82 (27) |
| Some college | 84 (28) |
| High School or less | 86 (28) |
| Employment, n (%) | |
| Disabled from employment | 30 (10) |
| Employed/student | 168 (55) |
| Homemaker | 22 (7) |
| Retired | 58 (19) |
| Unemployed | 27 (9) |
| Primary surrogate income, n (%) | |
| <$15,000 | 31 (14) |
| $15,000–$39,999 | 41 (19) |
| $40,000–$100,000 | 71 (33) |
| >$100,000 | 25 (11) |
| Prefer not to answer | 49 (23) |
| Religion, n (%) | |
| Catholic | 56 (18) |
| Jewish | 17 (6) |
| Protestant | 200 (66) |
| Other | 16 (5) |
| None | 16 (5) |
| Relationship, n (%) | |
| Child | 109 (36) |
| Parent | 41 (13) |
| Sibling | 37 (12) |
| Spouse/partner | 100 (33) |
| Other | 19 (6) |
| No. of decision-makers per patient, n (%) | |
| 1 | 152 (50) |
| 2 or more | 154 (50) |
| Designated as legal healthcare power of attorney, n (%) | 186 (61) |
| Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score at Day 10 of mechanical ventilation, mean (95% CI) | |
| Total | 16 (15.1–16.9) |
| Anxiety subscale | 10 (9–10.1) |
| Depression subscale | 7 (6–7) |
Definition of abbreviation: CI = confidence interval.