Table 5 Involvement of professional caregivers of patients dying with cancer in the end-of-life decision-making process (n = 963)

From: End-of-life decision-making across cancer types: results from a nationwide retrospective survey among treating physicians

Involvement of professional caregivers in the decision-making process

 

Decision discussed with colleague physician(s)

Decision discussed with palliative care specialist

Decision discussed with nursing staff

Cancer type

Weighted %a

All cancer deaths for which at least one ELD was made (n = 963)

50.9

37.0

43.3

Gastrointestinal (n = 291)

49.1

38.8

44.6

Respiratory (n = 233)

53.3

33.6

43.1

Genitourinary (n = 178)

53.1

38.4

41.0

Breast (n = 71)

38.3

32.8

35.3

Haematological (n = 68)

57.8

30.7

44.7

Otherb (n = 122)

49.8

44.6

47.9

P-valuec

.340

.409

.741

  1. Concerns the most important ELD. More than one response was possible for each case ELD end-of-life decision with possible or certain life-shortening effect
  2. Percentages are row percentages
  3. Not included in table and analyses: missing data for involvement of professional caregivers in the decision-making process n = 76 (7.9% of all cancer deaths for which at least one ELD was made)
  4. aPercentages are weighted for the disproportionate stratification and differences in the distribution of mortality characteristics between the response sample and all patient deaths
  5. b‘Other’ category includes head and neck; bone and articular cartilage; skin; eye, brain, and central nervous system; thyroid and endocrine glands; ill-defined, secondary and unspecified sites; independent (primary) multiple sites
  6. cBivariate differences between patients with different cancer types calculated using Pearson’s χ2-tests
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