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Table 2 Patient and health care characteristics by age groups and goal of treatment in the last week of life*

From: Factors associated with the goal of treatment in the last week of life in old compared to very old patients: a population-based death certificate survey

 

75-85 years

>85 years

N = 964 (57.3)

N = 717 (42.7)

 

Comfort care

Life-prolonging or curative treatment

p-value

Comfort care

Life-prolonging or curative treatment

p-value

N = 683 (73.4)

N = 248 (26.6)

N = 574 (84.2)

N = 108 (15.8)

Sex

  

0.540

  

0.005

Female

337 (72.5)

128 (27.5)

 

418 (86.7)

64 (13.3)

 

Male

346 (74.2)

120 (25.8)

 

156 (78.0)

44 (22.0)

 

Marital status

  

0.505

  

0.004

Widowed

258 (70.9)

106 (29.1)

 

425 (85.9)

70 (14.1)

 

Married

347 (75.6)

112 (24.4)

 

94 (74.0)

33 (26.0)

 

Single

59 (72.8)

22 (27.2)

 

45 (88.2)

6 (11.8)

 

Divorced

19 (73.1)

7 (26.9)

 

10 (100)

0 (0.0)

 

Education

  

0.131

  

0.141

Primary school

262 (69.7)

114 (30.3)

 

284 (85.3)

49 (14.7)

 

High school (not graduated)

126 (75.4)

41 (24.6)

 

77 (90.6)

8 (9.4)

 

High school/college

86 (72.3)

33 (27.7)

 

50 (79.4)

13 (20.6)

 

Unknown

209 (77.7)

60 (22.3)

 

163 (81.1)

38 (18.9)

 

Place of death

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

Hospital

292 (57.1)

219 (42.9)

 

148 (70.5)

62 (29.5)

 

Care home

180 (90.5)

19 (9.5)

 

338 (89.7)

39 (10.3)

 

Home

191 (95.5)

9 (4.5)

 

74 (91.4)

7 (8.6)

 

Cause of death

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

Cardiovascular disease

116 (60.4)

76 (39.6)

 

174 (84.9)

31 (15.1)

 

Malignant disease

276 (89.9)

31 (10.1)

 

93 (93.9)

6 (6.1)

 

Respiratory disease

86 (65.6)

45 (34.4)

 

61 (65.6)

32 (34.4)

 

CVA/stroke

65 (65.7)

34 (34.3)

 

53 (88.3)

7 (11.7)

 

Disease of the nervous system

34 (81.0)

8 (19.0)

 

25 (86.2)

4 (13.8)

 

Other disease

106 (66.2)

54 (33.8)

 

168 (86.2)

27 (13.8)

 

Capacity to make decisions†

  

<0.001

  

1.000

Capable

153 (92.7)

12 (7.3)

 

62 (89.9)

7 (10.1)

 

Incapacitated

264 (71.9)

103 (28.1)

 

269 (89.1)

33 (10.9)

 

Time in treatment for disease that caused death

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

1-7 days

67 (39.4)

103 (60.6)

 

90 (65.7)

47 (34.3)

 

7 days – 1 month

102 (63.4)

59 (36.6)

 

103 (80.5)

25 (19.5)

 

1 month – 1 year

132 (76.7)

40 (23.3)

 

98 (90.7)

10 (9.3)

 

More than 1 year

69 (94.5)

4 (5.5)

 

34 (97.1)

1 (2.9)

 
  1. *Number of cases (weighted percentages).
  2. † 1242 missing cases.