Table 2.
Characteristics of Responding Palliative Care and Hospice Services by Region
| Rest of the world (n = 95) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK (n = 277) | Rest of Europe (n = 85) | LIC/LMIC (n = 17) | UMIC (n = 19) | HIC (n = 59) | Total | |
| Management type (n/N, %)a | ||||||
| Charitable / nonprofit | 143/262 (54.6%) | 23/85 (27.1%) | 5/17 (29.4%) | 6/17 (35.3%) | 14/58 (24.1%) | 192/440 (43.6%)b |
| Public | 103/262 (39.3%) | 51/85 (60%) | 8/17 (47.1%) | 6/17 (35.3%) | 36/58 (62.1%) | 204/440 (46.4%)b |
| Private | 1/262 (0.4%) | 9/85 (10.6%) | 2/17 (11.8%) | 5/17 (29.4%) | 2/58(3.4%) | 19/440 (4.3%)b |
| Other | 15/262 (5.7%) | 2/85 (2.4%) | 2/17 (11.8%) | - | 6/58 (10.3%) | 25/440 (5.7%)b |
| Missing | 15 | - | - | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| Setting (n/N, %) | ||||||
| Inpatient PC unit | 168/277 (60.6%) | 44/85 (51.8%) | 8/17 (47.1%) | 6/19 (31.6%) | 34/59 (57.6%) | 261/458 (57%)b |
| Hospital PC team | 135/277 (48.7%) | 26/85 (30.6%) | 9/17 (52.9%) | 10/19 (52.6%) | 37/59 (62.7%) | 217/458 (47.4%)b |
| Home PC team | 160/277 (57.8%) | 47/85 (55.3%) | 10/17 (58.8%) | 9/19 (47.4%) | 34/59 (57.6%) | 261/458 (57%)b |
| Home nursing | 92/277 (33.2%) | 15/85 (17.6%) | 1/17 (5.9%) | 4/19 (21.1%) | 7/59 (11.9%) | 119/458 (26%)b |
| Total | 277 | 85 | 17 | 19 | 59 | 458b |
| Experience with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 | ||||||
| Services with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases (n/N, %)a | 248/264 (93.9%) | 60/83 (72.3%) | 9/17 (52.9%) | 7/17 (41.2%) | 33/58 (56.9%) | 358/440 (81.4%)b |
| Missing | 13 | 2 | - | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| Approximate number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases per service | ||||||
| Median (Q1, Q3) | 25.5 (7, 70) | 15 (4.5, 35.5) | 3 (2, 70) | 8 (2, 20) | 6 (2, 11) | 16 (5.5, 56) |
| Total | 234 | 61 | 9 | 7 | 33 | 345 |
| Services with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases (n/N, %) | ||||||
| In-patient PC unit | 146/158 (92.4%) | 30/43 (69.8%) | 3/8 (37.5%) | 3/5 (60%) | 20/34 (58.8%) | 203/249 (81.5%)b |
| Hospital PC team | 127/129 (98.4%) | 20/26 (76.9%) | 5/9 (55.6%) | 4/9 (44.4%) | 26/36 (72.2%) | 182/209 (87.1%) |
| Home PC team | 143/151 (94.7%) | 35/46 (76.1%) | 5/10 (50%) | 3/7 (42.9%) | 17/34 (50%) | 204/249 (81.9%)b |
| Home nursing | 82/87 (94.3%) | 7/13 (53.8%) | 0/1 (0%) | 0/3 (0%) | 5/7 (71.4%) | 94/111 (84.7%) |
| Severity of disease in patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 (n/N, %) | ||||||
| Severely ill or dying due mainly to COVID-19 | 112/248 (45.2%) | 13/60 (21.7%) | 1/9 (11.1%) | 0/7 | 5/33 (15.2%) | 131/358 (36.6%)b |
| Pre-existing illnesses/comorbidities as well as COVID-19 who are severely ill or dying | 192/248 (77.4%) | 34/60 (56.7%) | 3/9 (33.3%) | 5/7 (71.4%) | 15/33 (45.5%) | 250/358 (69.8%)b |
| Patients known to service already who now have COVID-19 | 129/248 (52%) | 21/60 (35%) | 3/9 (33.3%) | 2/7 (28.6%) | 12/33 (36.4%) | 168/358 (46.9%)b |
| Services with staff with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 (n/N, %)a | 238/262 (90.8%) | 55/83 (66.3%) | 4/16 (25%) | 7/17 (41.2%) | 30/58 (51.7%) | 335/437 (76.7%)b |
| Missing | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 21 |
| Type of staff with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 (n/N, %) | ||||||
| Nurses | 224/238 (94.1%) | 51/55 (92.7%) | 3/4 (75%) | 7/7 (100%) | 22/30 (73.3%) | 308/335 (91.9%)b |
| Physicians | 161/238 (67.6%) | 32/55 (58.2%) | 2/4 (50%) | 3/7 (42.9%) | 15/30 (50%) | 214/335 (63.9%)b |
| Allied health professionals, managed | 92/238 (38.7%) | 11/55 (20%) | 3/4 (75%) | 1/7 (14.3%) | 7/30 (23.3%) | 115/335 (34.3%)b |
| Reception/administrative staff | 74/238 (31.1%) | 9/55 (16.4%) | 0/4 | 2/7 (28.6%) | 3/30 (10%) | 88/335 (26.3%)b |
| Managers | 69/238 (29%) | 8/55 (14.5%) | 0/4 | 1/7 (14.3%) | 0/30 | 78/335 (23.3%)b |
| Others | 48/238 (20.2%) | 5/55 (9.1%) | 1/4 (25%) | 0/7 | 4/30 (13.3%) | 58/335 (17.3%)b |
| Other support (n, %) | ||||||
| Services that have encountered patients or families with COVID-19 who are from black and minority ethnic groups (n/N, %)a | 93/254 (36.6%) | 16/76 (21.1%) | 3/16 (18.8%) | 5/16 (31.3%) | 15/56 (26.8%) | 132/419 (31.5%)b |
| Missing | 23 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 39 |
| Shortages (n, %) | ||||||
| Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortages (n/N, %)a | 129/258 (50%) | 38/75 (50.7%) | 9/15 (60%) | 6/17 (35.3%) | 19/54 (35.2%) | 201/419 (48%) |
| Missing | 19 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 39b |
| PPE shortages in the last 7 days (n/N, %)c | 50/127 (39.4%) | 7/38 (18.4%) | 7/9 (77.8%) | 5/6 (83.3%) | 6/19 (31.6%) | 75/199 (37.7%) |
| Missing or not applicabled | 150 | 47 | 8 | 13 | 40 | 259b |
| Key medicines shortages (n/N, %)a | 63/255 (24.7%) | 19/73 (26%) | 4/15 (26.7%) | 4/17 (23.5%) | 11/54 (20.4%) | 101/414 (24.4%) |
| Missing | 22 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 44b |
| Key medicines shortages in the last 7 days (n/N, %)c | 28/63 (44.4%) | 3/18 (16.7%) | 4/4(100%) | 4/4 (100%) | 6/11 (54.5%) | 45/100 (45%) |
| Missing or not applicabled | 214 | 67 | 13 | 15 | 48 | 358b |
| Equipment shortages (e.g. syringe drivers) (n/N, %)a | 45/256 (17.6%) | 3/73 (4.1%) | 4/14 (28.6%) | 2/17 (11.8%) | 2/54 (3.7%) | 56/414 (13.5%) |
| Missing | 21 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 44b |
| Equipment shortages in the last 7 days (N/n, %)c | 19/42 (45.2%) | 1/3 (33.3%) | 3/3 (100%) | 2/2 (100%) | 2/2 (100%) | 27/52 (51.9%) |
| Missing or not applicabled | 235 | 82 | 14 | 17 | 57 | 406b |
| Staff shortages (n, %)a | 117/255 (45.9%) | 26/75 (34.7%) | 4/14 (28.6%) | 6/16 (37.5%) | 13/54 (24.1%) | 166/414 (40.1%) |
| Missing | 22 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 44b |
| Staff shortages in the last 7 days (N/n, %)c | 61/114 (53.5%) | 9/26 (34.6%) | 3/4 (75%) | 5/5 (100%) | 5/13 (38.5%) | 83/162 (51.2%) |
| Missing or not applicabled | 163 | 59 | 13 | 14 | 46 | 296b |
Note: UK = United Kingdom, Rest of Europe excludes UK, LIC = low-income countries, LMIC = lower middle-income countries, UMIC = upper middle-income countries, HIC = high-income countries, NHS = National Health Service, PC = palliative care.
a
N of value and valid N denominator are provided. Percentages are of valid values, unless otherwise stated. Number of missing responses for each category is provided.
b
Includes data from the one missing country.
c
Response for “yes” and “sometimes” both coded as “yes”.
d
Not applicable includes those services who did not have shortages.