Table 3.
Factors associated with primary care service use in the last 3 months of life, N = 68,523
| Variable | Value | GP consultation | GP prescription | GP referral to other specialities | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palliative care | Yes | 1.39(1.37 to 1.42) | < 0.0001 | 1.39(1.37 to 1.41) | < 0.0001 | 1.26(1.20 to 1.33) | < 0.0001 |
| Age at death (ref: < 50) | 50–59 | 0.99(0.95 to 1.02) | < 0.0001 | 1.04(0.98 to 1.10) | < 0.0001 | 1.14(1.00 to 1.30) | < 0.0001 |
| 60–69 | 0.97(0.94 to 1.01) | 1.05(0.99 to 1.10) | 1.24(1.09 to 1.41) | ||||
| 70–79 | 0.93(0.90 to 0.96) | 1.03(0.97 to 1.08) | 1.23(1.09 to 1.40) | ||||
| 80–89 | 0.86(0.83 to 0.90) | 1.04(0.98 to 1.10) | 1.23(1.08 to 1.39) | ||||
| 90+ | 0.81(0.78 to 0.84) | 1.12(1.06 to 1.20) | 1.12(0.97 to 1.28) | ||||
| Gender (ref: female) | Male | 0.97(0.96 to 0.98) | < 0.0001 | 0.90(0.89 to 0.92) | < 0.0001 | 1.04(1.00 to 1.08) | 0.05 |
| Cancer site (ref: Lung) | Colorectal | 0.99(0.97 to 1.01) | < 0.0001 | 1.01(0.98 to 1.04) | < 0.0001 | 1.10(1.04 to 1.16) | < 0.0001 |
| Breast | 1.00(0.98 to 1.02) | 0.95(0.93 to 0.98) | 0.99(0.95 to 1.04) | ||||
| Prostate | 1.10(1.08 to 1.12) | 1.11(1.08 to 1.13) | 1.15(1.09 to 1.22) | ||||
| No. comorbidity conditions (ref: 0) | 1 | 1.03(1.01 to 1.04) | < 0.0001 | 1.11(1.09 to 1.14) | < 0.0001 | 1.02(0.96 to 1.08) | < 0.0001 |
| 2 | 1.08(1.06 to 1.10) | 1.26(1.23 to 1.28) | 1.05(0.99 to 1.11) | ||||
| 3 | 1.10(1.08 to 1.12) | 1.39(1.35 to 1.43) | 1.09(1.02 to 1.16) | ||||
| 4+ | 1.18(1.16 to 1.20) | 1.58(1.53 to 1.63) | 1.17(1.07 to 1.27) | ||||
|
Time between diagnosis and death (months) (ref: 120+) |
< 6 | 1.40(1.35 to 1.45) | < 0.0001 | 1.15(1.10 to 1.21) | < 0.0001 | 1.81(1.62 to 2.02) | < 0.0001 |
| 6–12 | 1.14(1.10 to 1.19) | 1.12(1.07 to 1.18) | 1.04(0.93 to 1.17) | ||||
| 13–36 | 1.09(1.05 to 1.13) | 1.07(1.03 to 1.12) | 1.01(0.91 to 1.13) | ||||
| 37–60 | 1.06(1.02 to 1.10) | 1.05(1.00 to 1.10) | 1.03(0.91 to 1.16) | ||||
| 61–120 | 1.00(0.96 to 1.04) | 1.00(0.95 to 1.04) | 1.06(0.95 to 1.18) | ||||
| Year of death (ref: 2010–2014) | 2000–2004 | 0.66(0.63 to 0.69) | < 0.0001 | 0.88(0.85 to 0.90) | < 0.0001 | 1.16(1.03 to 1.31) | < 0.0001 |
| 2005–2009 | 0.85(0.83 to 0.88) | 0.93(0.91 to 0.96) | 0.92(0.86 to 0.99) | ||||
| Region (ref: England) | Wales | 0.91(0.81 to 1.02) | 0.12 | 1.10(1.03 to 1.17) | < 0.0001 | 1.23(1.00 to 1.51) | 0.029 |
| Scotland | 0.99(0.88 to 1.10) | 0.86(0.81 to 0.92) | 0.83(0.64 to 1.07) | ||||
| NI | 1.22(1.00 to 1.48) | 1.07(0.95 to 1.20) | 1.21(1.01 to 1.46) |