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Table 2 Comparison of characteristics between patients assigned to HCEC group and patients assigned to UC group

From: To evaluate the effectiveness of health care ethics consultation based on the goals of health care ethics consultation: a prospective cohort study with randomization

 

HCEC Group N = 33

UC Group N = 29

p value

Patient Characteristics

   

Age on admission, year

51 ± 20.82

46 ± 23.29

0.53

Gender

0.66

 Female

12 (36.36%)

9 (31.03%)

 

 Male

21 (63.64%)

20 (68.97%)

 

Marital status

   

 Married

18 (54.55%)

13 (44.83%)

0.45

 Unmarried

15 (45.45%)

16 (55.17%)

 

Educational level

  

0.52

 University of Higher

14 (42.42%)

10 (34.48%)

 

 Middle school or Lower

19 (57.58%)

19 (65.52%)

 

Religion

  

0.81

 Buddhism/Daoism

17 (51.52%)

15 (51.72%)

 

 Christian/Catholics

2 (6.06%)

3 (10.34%)

 

 Others

14 (42.42%)

11 (37.93%)

 

Elixhauser comorbidity measures

2 ± 1.80

2 ± 1.54

0.47

HCEC requested

0.72

 Nurse

19 (57.58%)

18 (62.07%)

 

 Attending Physician

14 (42.42%)

11 (37.93%)

 

Outcome Data

 

Discharge status

  

0.56

 Dead

26 (78.79%)

21 (72.41%)

 

 Survived

7 (21.21%)

8 (27.59%)

 

Total ICU stay, day

17 ± 17.26

30 ± 37.50

0.05

Total hospital stay, day

25 ± 35.80

70 ± 42.05

< 0.01

Post-conflict ICU stay, day a

6 ± 13.87

20 ± 23.86

< 0.01

Post-conflict hospital stay, day b

7 ± 18.52

21 ± 25.02

< 0.01

The average of ethical issues

2 ± 0.63

2 ± 0.58

0.42

Consensus reached

 

< 0.01

 No

5 (15.15%)

22 (75.86%)

 

 Yes

28 (84.85%)

7 (24.14%)

 
  1. Abbreviation list: HCEC, health care ethics consultation; UC, usual care; ICU, intensive care unit.
  2. Continuous variables of the two groups were compared using Mann-Whitney test, and the test results were shown as median ± standard deviation. Categorical variables of the two groups were compared using the Chi-squared test, and the test results were shown as number (percentage).
  3. a “Post-conflict ICU stay, day” means the length of ICU stay by days after the medical uncertainty or conflict regarding value-laden issues happened.
  4. b “Post-conflict hospital stay, day” means the length of hospital stay by days after the medical uncertainty or conflict regarding value-laden issues happened.