Table 3.
Factors associated with symptom relief, based on univariate binary logistic regression reported with odds ratio and 95% confidence interval
| Pain | Shortness of breath | Anxiety | Nausea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 1.03 (1.01–1.04)*** | 1.03 (1.01–1.04)** | 1.03 (1.01–1.04)*** | 1.01 (0.98‐1.04) |
| Sex (male sex) | 0.89 (0.73–1.07) | 0.88 (0.70–1.12) | 0.86 (0.70–1.04) | 0.75 (0.51–1.10) |
| Place of death | ||||
| Hospital ward | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Home care | 1.59 (1.12–2.26)* | 3.19 (2.03–5.02)*** | 2.40 (1.59–3.61)*** | 1.66 (0.84–3.26) |
| Nursing home | 2.02 (1.64–2.49)*** | 2.29 (1.76–2.97)*** | 2.21 (1.77–2.77)*** | 1.82 (1.16–2.87)** |
| Hospice/inpatient palliative care | 2.81 (1.68–4.71)*** | 3.47 (2.09–5.78)*** | 2.33 (1.44–3.79)** | 7.73 (2.13–28.00)** |
| Other | 2.35 (0.88–6.26) | 1.30 (0.39–4.29) | 7.16 (1.63–31.34)** | 1.09 (0.28–4.30) |
| Number of days enrolled to the care unit | ||||
| 0–3 days | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| 4–14 days | 1.23 (0.87–1.73) | 1.43 (0.97–2.12) | 0.72 (0.50–1.05) | 0.77 (0.35–1.64) |
| 15–30 days | 2.04 (1.33–3.12)** | 3.71 (2.33–5.89)*** | 1.23 (0.80–1.90) | 1.19 (0.52–2.70) |
| 31–365 days | 1.40 (1.01–1.95)* | 2.35 (1.55–3.55)*** | 1.26 (0.87–1.83) | 1.38 (0.66–2.87) |
| >365 days | 2.00 (1.47–2.71)*** | 2.78 (1.92–4.03)*** | 1.69 (1.19–2.39)** | 1.82 (0.92–3.60) |
| Documented palliative care in patient records | 3.53 (2.66–4.69)*** | 2.61 (1.79–3.80)*** | 2.93 (2.13–4.03)*** | 2.43 (1.32–4.48)** |
| Individual medication by injection (pro re nata) a | 6.52 (4.15–10.24)*** | n/a | 3.14 (2.05–4.81)*** | 3.26 (1.93–5.51)*** |
| Pain assessment with validated scales | 1.85 (1.51–2.27)*** | 1.81 (1.39–2.34)*** | 1.51 (1.22–1.86)*** | 1.98 (1.32–2.96)** |
| Symptom assessments with validated scales b | 2.23 (1.69–2.94)*** | 1.72 (1.24–2.39)** | 1.72 (1.32–2.24)*** | 1.50 (0.91–2.46) |
| End‐of‐life discussions with patients | 1.46 (1.20–1.77)*** | 1.60 (1.25–2.06)*** | 1.39 (1.13–2.17)** | 2.09 (1.41–3.10)*** |
| End‐of‐life discussions with family members | 2.05 (1.64–2.55)*** | 1.80 (1.32–2.45)*** | 1.76 (1.38–2.24)*** | 1.96 (1.25–3.05)** |
| External consultation for symptom relief | 0.66 (0.51–0.85)** | 0.96 (0.69–1.33) | 0.67 (0.51–0.89)** | 0.89 (0.53–1.46) |
Ref, reference category.
a
Pro re nata, that is, medication prescribed to be taken when needed. Not applied for shortness of breath in the register.
b
Symptoms other than pain.
*
P < 0.05.
**
P < 0.01.
***
P < 0.001.