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Table 3 Characteristics of signed advance directives

From: Prevalence and predictors of advance directive among terminally ill patients in Taiwan before enactment of Patient Right to Autonomy Act: a nationwide population-based study

 

Total (n = 2369)

Cancer patients (n = 1517)

Non-cancer patients (n = 852)

p-valuea

Mean (SD)

Mean (SD)

Mean (SD)

Number of days till death after AD signed

8.45 (19.97)

8.61 (16.11)

8.18 (25.36)

0.616

N (%)

N (%)

N (%)

p-valuea

Reason of signing an AD^

 Poor prognosis

1234 (52)

840 (55)

394 (46)

< 0.001*

 Close to death

1095 (46)

604 (40)

491 (58)

< 0.001*

 Initiated by family members

349 (15)

207 (14)

142 (17)

0.046*

 Do not want patients to suffer

183 (8)

130 (9)

53 (6)

0.040*

 Patient’s intention

157 (7)

140 (9)

17 (2)

< 0.001*

 Incurable pain

102 (4)

94 (6)

8 (1)

< 0.001*

 Old age

75 (3)

42 (3)

33 (4)

0.141

 Financial difficulties

10 (0.4)

6 (0.4)

4 (0.5)

0.790

 Others

4 (0.2)

1 (0.1)

3 (0.4)

0.103

Key person initiating an AD^

 Doctors

1679 (71)

1059 (70)

620 (73)

0.128

 Family members

303 (13)

180 (12)

123 (14)

0.072

 Palliative care teams

164 (7)

163 (11)

1 (0.1)

< 0.001*

 Nurses

102 (4)

72 (5)

30 (4)

0.159

 Self

50 (2)

44 (3)

6 (1)

< 0.001*

 Social workers

3 (0.1)

3 (0.2)

0 (0)

0.194

 Not recorded

289 (12)

181 (12)

108 (13)

0.595

Relationship between patients and person signing an AD

   

< 0.001*

 Children

1429 (60)

876 (58)

553 (65)

 

 Spouses

482 (20)

351 (23)

131 (15)

 

 Grandchildren

26 (14)

13 (0.8)

19 (2)

 

 Siblings

126 (5)

72 (5)

54 (6)

 

 Parents

84 (4)

43 (3)

41 (5)

 

 Self

95 (4)

92 (6)

3 (0.4)

 

 Daughters in-law

47 (2)

24 (2)

23 (3)

 

 Other relatives

29 (1)

16 (1)

13 (1)

 

 Not recorded

31 (1)

21 (1)

10 (1)

 

Patients’ conscious level when signing

   

< 0.001*

 Coma

829 (35)

300 (20)

529 (62)

 

 Conscious

812 (34)

715 (47)

97 (11)

 

 Dozing

269 (11)

213 (14)

56 (7)

 

 Half-coma

171 (7)

90 (6)

81 (10)

 

 Confusion

159 (7)

115 (8)

44 (5)

 

 Dementia

10 (0.4)

4 (0.3)

6 (0.7)

 

 Not recorded

75 (3)

59 (4)

16 (2)

 

Durable power of attorney

   

0.567

 Yes

70 (3)

46 (3)

24 3)

 

 No

2299 (97)

1471 (97)

828 (97)

 

Compliance to ADsb

   

0.563

 Yesc

2355 (99)

1507 (99)

848 (99)

 

 Nod

14 (1)

10 (1)

4 (1)

 

Specific end-of-life care executed according to ADs ^

 Endotracheal intubation

   

< 0.001*

  Executed according to AD

19 (1)

11 (1)

8 (3)

 

  Not executed according to AD

1355 (90)

1110 (93)

245 (81)

 

  Executed not according to AD

8 (1)

7 (1)

1 (0.3)

 

  Not executed not according to AD

120 (8)

72 (6)

48 (16)

 

 Mechanical ventilation

   

< 0.001*

  Executed according to AD

46 (3)

34 (3)

12 (4)

 

  Not executed according to AD

1100 (74)

919 (78)

181 (61)

 

  Executed not according to AD

59 (4)

38 (3)

21 (7)

 

  Not executed not according to AD

274 (19)

192 (16)

82 (28)

 

 Resuscitative drugse

   

< 0.001*

  Executed according to AD

582 (25)

288 (19)

294 (35)

 

  Not executed according to AD

1034 (44)

772 (51)

262 (31)

 

  Executed not according to AD

160 (7)

96 6)

64 (8)

 

  Not executed not according to AD

591 (25)

359 (24)

232 (27)

 

 Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

  Executed according to AD

15 (1)

4 (0.3)

11 (1)

0.010*

  Not executed according to AD

2269 (96)

1457 (96)

812 (95)

 

  Executed not according to AD

26 (1)

20 (1)

6 (1)

 

  Not executed not according to AD

57 (2)

34 (2)

23 (3)

 

 Cardiac defibrillation

   

0.030*

  Executed according to AD

2 (0.1)

1 (0.1)

1 (0.1)

 

  Not executed according to AD

2195 (93)

1423 (94)

772 (91)

 

  Executed not according to AD

7 (0.3)

4 (0.3)

3 (0.4)

 

  Not executed not according to AD

163 (7)

87 (6)

76 (9)

 

 Pacemaker

   

N/A

  Executed according to AD

2 (0.1)

0 (0)

2 (0.2)

 

  Not executed according to AD

1928 (81)

1286 (85)

642 (75)

 

  Executed not according to AD

1 (0.04)

1 (0.1)

0 (0)

 

  Not executed not according to AD

435 (18)

228 (15)

207 (24)

 

 Other resuscitation procedures

   

N/A

  Executed according to AD

5 (0.2)

1 (0.1)

4 (0.5)

 

  Not executed according to AD

1475 (62)

982 (65)

493 (58)

 

  Executed not according to AD

3 (0.1)

3 (0.2)

0 (0)

 

  Not executed not according to AD

884 (37)

529 (35)

355 (42)

 
  1. ^ The number of patients having the specific care in their ADs varied
  2. Abbreviations: AD Advance directives, SD Standard deviation
  3. *p < 0.05
  4. aObtained by two-independent samples t test or by exact chi-square tests examining the difference in characteristics of signed advance directives between cancer and non-cancer patients
  5. bAt least one of the EOL care procedures were executed or not executed according to AD
  6. cExecuted or not executed according to AD
  7. dExecuted or not executed not according to AD
  8. eResuscitative drug means aminophylline, epinephrine, sodium bicarbonate, nitroglycerin, diphenhydramine, hydrocortisone, amiodarone
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