Table 1.
Bivariate analyses of selected demographic and potential predictor variables
| Characteristics and Questions | If You Are Currently Receiving Dialysis, Do You Regret the Decision to Start Dialysis? n (%) | Unadjusted Odds Ratios (95% CI) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | |||
| Dialysis cohort, N=397 | 82 (21) | 315 (79) | ||
| Race | 1.87 (1.02 to 3.44) | 0.04 | ||
| White (ref) | 15 (18) | 93 (30) | ||
| Nonwhite | 67 (82) | 222 (70) | ||
| Mode of dialysis | 1.54 (0.53 to 4.47) | 0.42 | ||
| Hemodialysis (ref) | 73 (94) | 293 (96) | ||
| Peritoneal dialysis | 5 (6) | 13 (4) | ||
| Sex | 0.73 (0.44 to 1.21) | 0.22 | ||
| Female (ref) | 30 (63) | 139 (56) | ||
| Male | 52 (37) | 176 (44) | ||
| Marital status | 0.88 (0.67 to 1.15) | 0.34 | ||
| Married (ref) | 35 (43) | 118 (37) | ||
| Not married | 46 (57) | 197 (63) | ||
| Mean age at first encounter (range) | 59.7 (21–88) | 59.1 (22–91) | 1.003 (0.99 to 1.02) | 0.73 |
| Length of time in months on dialysis (range) | 41.5 (2–224) | 52.7 (1–336) | 1.00 (0.99 to 1.00) | 0.11 |
| Attitudes toward medical decision making and care | ||||
| How important is to you for your family to be actively involved in medical decision making? | 0.41 (0.24 to 0.70) | <0.001 | ||
| Unsure/unimportant (ref) | 30 (33) | 60 (67) | ||
| Important | 52 (17) | 253 (83) | ||
| If you are currently receiving dialysis, why did you choose dialysis over conservative care? | 2.62 (1.47 to 4.67) | <0.001 | ||
| Doctor’s/family’ s wish (ref) | 63 (78) | 176 (57) | ||
| Personal wish | 18 (22) | 133 (43) | ||
| How important is it for you to be informed about treatment options such as withdrawing dialysis? | 0.02 | |||
| Unsure/unimportant (ref) | 36 (44) | 108 (34) | 0.73 (0.56 to 0.96) | |
| Important | 46 (56) | 206 (66) | ||
| How important is detailed information about your medical condition? | 0.40 (0.23 to 0.71) | 0.001 | ||
| Unsure/unimportant (ref) | 24 (29) | 45 (14) | ||
| Important | 58 (71) | 270 (86) | ||
| Attitudes toward future care | ||||
| How informed are you about your medical condition and how it will change over time? | 0.69 (0.42 to 1.12) | 0.13 | ||
| Uninformed/unsure (ref) | 43 (52) | 136 (43) | ||
| Informed | 39 (48) | 179 (57) | ||
| Have you thought about what might happen with your illness in the future? | 1.37 (0.79 to 2.38) | 0.26 | ||
| No (ref) | 21 (26) | 100 (32) | ||
| Yes | 61 (74) | 212 (68) | ||
| How do you see your health in next 12 mo? | 1.27 (0.67 to 2.84) | 0.56 | ||
| No change/improving (ref) | 74 (90) | 277 (88) | ||
| Worsening | 8 (10) | 38 (12) | ||
| How important is it for your “quality of life” to affect your future care? | 0.42 (0.24 to 0.76) | 0.003 | ||
| Unsure/unimportant (ref) | 22 (27) | 42 (13) | ||
| Important | 60 (73) | 271 (87) | ||
| How important is it for you to be informed about your prognosis? | 0.51 (0.29 to 0.89) | 0.02 | ||
| Unsure/unimportant (ref) | 24 (29) | 55 (17) | ||
| Important | 58 (71) | 260 (83) | ||
| Has your doctor talked to you about how much time you have to live? | 0.44 (0.22 to 0.88 | 0.008 | ||
| No (ref) | 66 (83) | 282 (92) | ||
| Yes | 14 (17) | 26 (8) | ||
| How important is it for you to prepare and plan ahead in case of death? | 0.39 (0.23 to 0.66) | <0.001 | ||
| Unsure/unimportant (ref) | 32 (39) | 63 (20) | ||
| Important | 50 (61) | 250 (80) | ||
| Modifiable care process | ||||
| Have you completed a living will? | 0.51 (0.29 to 0.89) | 0.01 | ||
| No (ref) | 61 (75) | 190 (61) | ||
| Yes | 20 (25) | 122 (39) | ||
| Personal directive | 0.99 (0.53 to 1.83) | 0.98 | ||
| No (ref) | 66 (80) | 254 (81) | ||
| Yes | 16 (20) | 61 (19) | ||
| Health care proxy | 0.79 (0.53 to 1.76) | 0.56 | ||
| No (ref) | 74 (90) | 277 (88) | ||
| Yes | 8 (10) | 38 (12) | ||
95% CI, 95% confidence interval; ref, reference group.