Table 2 Clinical characteristics and laboratory data at initial admission compared between control and intervention groups
Clinical characteristics | Control group (n= 94) | Intervention group (n= 219) | Pvalue |
|---|---|---|---|
Mean age (± SD), years | 71 ± 15 | 69 ± 16 | 0.207 |
Males, n (%) | 42 (45%) | 115 (53%) | 0.204 |
Mean Charlson Index score (± SD) | 3.5 ± 3.2 | 3.1 ± 3.1 | 0.210 |
Presence of primary care physician, n (%) | 66 (70%) | 173 (79%) | 0.094 |
Underlying malignancy, n (%) | 30 (32%) | 57 (26%) | 0.287 |
Mean laboratory data at initial admissiona (± SD) |  |  |  |
   Leukocyte count, cells/μL | 10,079 ± 5,011 | 10,903 ± 5,588 | 0.232 |
   Hemoglobin, g/dL | 13.2 ± 18.3 | 11.2 ± 2.6 | 0.228 |
   Creatinine, mg/dL | 2.6 ± 5.1 | 1.9 ± 2.0 | 0.284 |
Caregiver at home, n (%) | Â | Â | Â |
   Child generation | 38 (40%) | 58 (27%) | 0.009 |
   Parental generation | 3 (3%) | 5 (2%) | 0.617 |
   Spouse | 29 (31%) | 92 (42%) | 0.084 |
   Nonrelative caregiver | 21 (22%) | 62 (28%) | 0.321 |
Mean Barthel Index score at discharge (± SD) | 62 ± 35 | 66 ± 37 | 0.378 |
Mean length of hospital stay, days (± SD) | 8.5 ± 8.0 | 8.9 ± 6.1 | 0.660 |
Artificial tube and/or catheter at discharge, n (%) | 22 (23%) | 51 (23%) | 0.982 |
Wound needing dressing changes, n (%) | 10 (11%) | 27 (12%) | 0.671 |