Factors associated with emergency services use in Taiwanese advanced cancer patients receiving palliative home care services during out-of-hours periods: a retrospective medical record study

Table 2 Emergency services use in advanced cancer patients during out-of-hours periods of palliative home care (N = 65)

Variable	Use of emergency services^a n (%)		p value
	During normal hours of palliative home care 39 (60.0)	During out-of-hours of palliative home care 26 (40.0)
Mean number of emergency services use (SD)	1.5 (1.0)	1.8 (1.6)	0.393
[median (minimum–maximum)]	[1 (1–6)]	[1 (1–9)]
Mean number of emergency hospitalization	0.8 (0.4)	1.0 (0.4)	0.033
(SD) [median (minimum–maximum)]	[1 (0–1)]	[1 (0–3)]
Clinical symptoms or signs at emergency admission
Pain	33 (84.6)	14 (53.8)	0.010
Infection or fever	21 (53.8)	10 (38.5)	0.311
Nausea or vomiting	8 (20.5)	4 (15.4)	0.749
Constipation	5 (12.8)	3 (11.5)	> 0.999
Dyspnea	17 (43.6)	14 (53.8)	0.456
Change of consciousness	7 (17.9)	9 (34.6)	0.150
Gastrointestinal bleeding	5 (12.8)	7 (26.9)	0.197
Composite distressing condition^b	4 (10.3)	8 (30.8)	0.052
Mean daily oral morphine equivalent dose prior to emergency admission (SD)	34.0 (52.0)	19.4 (28.9)	0.054
[median (minimum–maximum)]	[15 (0–300)]	[7.5 (0–120)]

SD standard deviation
^aNormal hours of palliative home care are defined in this study as 8 a.m. to midnight, Monday to Friday, excluding statutory public holidays. Out-of-hours of palliative home care are defined as any time outside normal hours
^bThe composite distressing condition variable was defined as the occurring of two of the following three symptoms and signs: dyspnea, change of consciousness, and gastrointestinal bleeding

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