The stability of care preferences following acute illness: a mixed methods prospective cohort study of frail older people

Table 2 Importance rating of preferences

		A. Extend life	B. Improve quality of life	C. Remain independent	D. Be comfortable	E. Support those close to me	F. Stay out of hospital
Percentage rating each preference as important^a
Baseline (n = 82)	%	43	81	86	89	77	82
12 weeks (n = 64)	%	32	75	82	89	75	82
24 weeks (n = 64)	%	39	76	79	82	68	78
Stability of importance ratings^b
Stable importance rating at all measurements	n (%)	33/54 (61)	47/59 (80)	54/63 (86)	54/63 (86)	51/62 (82)	51/63 (81)
Unstable importance rating: importance increased	n (%)^c	14 (23)	7 (12)	4 (6)	5 (8)	4 (6)	6 (10)
Unstable importance rating: Importance reduced	n (%)^c	13 (21)	7 (12)	5 (8)	5 (8)	9 (1)	6 (10)

^aImportance was rated on a 0–4 Likert scale. ‘Important’ defined as a score of ≥3. Don’t know/prefer not to say answers were included, missing answers were excluded.
^bStability = change of ≤1 point in importance rating of a preference across all data points. Denominator = all participants who provided ≥2 measurements for each preference.
^cSome participants reported both an increase of > 1 point and a decrease of > 1 in preference importance rating over the three questionnaires. Both have been counted here so percentages add up to more than 100 in some columns

ISSN: 1471-2318