Table 1 Data collection protocol
Socio-demographic variables and Clinics | |
|---|---|
Sex | |
Age | |
Cause of death | ICD-9 diagnostics dispatched in the death records of the documentation services of the hospitals included in the study. Oncological disease: 140–195; 196–198; 199; 200–208 Cardiac insufficiency: 402.0.1; 402.11; 402.91, 404; 428; 428.1 Hepatic insufficiency: 571; 572 Respiratory insufficiency/COPD: 491.21; 518.84 Chronic renal insufficiency: 585 |
Date of death | Dispatched in the death records of the documentation services of the hospitals included in the study |
Time elapsed since patient was diagnosed | Noted in the patients’ clinical histories > 1 year ≤ 1 year |
Comorbidity according to the Charlson index | Individually calculated for each patient as a function of the diverse pathologies noted in the clinical histories. |
Hospital department where patient died | Dispatched in the death records of the documentation services of the hospitals included in the study |
Hospitalisation | Number of hospital admissions, final three months of life Number of days of the final hospital admission |
Medical end-of-life decisions in the final 3 months of life | |
Notation of the decision marked in the clinical history and date at which it first appears. Categorical dichotomy response: Yes-Not noted Affirmative response: Date | - Continuation of care in home - Consult or referral to palliative care - Withdrawal or non-issuance of a determined treatment/intervention. - Decision of withholding/ withdrawing interventions - Not running diagnostics tests - Withdrawal of medication - Withdrawal or non-issuance of antibiotic - Rejection of ICU consult or rejection of ICU ingress - Initiation of opioid medication - Initiation of sedation - Do Not Resuscitate order |
Interventions performed in the final 14 days and 48 h | |
These interventions were performed at least once in the final 14 days and 48 h of the patient’s life. Categorical dichotomy response: Yes-Not noted. | - Urinary catheter - Central venous catheter - Peripheral venous catheter - Nasogastric tube - Enteral nutrition - Parenteral nutrition - Invasive mechanical ventilation - Non-invasive mechanical ventilation - Transfusion - Aspirator - Aerosols - Oxygen therapy - Antibiotics - Drainage - ICU consult - ICU ingress |
Identification of the clinical terminal situation in the final three months of life | |
Identification of the terminal situation of the patient and the moment at which this situation is produced. Categorical dichotomy response: Yes-Not noted Affirmative response: Date | Express notation of terminality noted in the clinical histories and date at which the notation is first produced. Other expression(s) used by clinicians to refer to terminality, such as agony, bad prognosis, palliative, and date first produced. |