Table 1 Sample characteristics
| Â | All | Home death | Hospital death |
|---|---|---|---|
|  | (n = 352) | (n = 175) | (n = 177) |
Patient’s gender |  |  |  |
 Male | 192 (54.5 %) | 94 (53.7 %) | 98 (55.4 %) |
 Female | 160 (45.5 %) | 81 (46.3 %) | 79 (44.6 %) |
Patient’s age |  |  |  |
 Median in years (IQR) | 76 (67–83) | 76 (66–83) | 76 (67–83.5) |
Type of cancer (underlying cause of death) | Â | Â | Â |
 Digestive | 105 (29.8 %) | 59 (33.7 %) | 46 (26.0 %) |
 Respiratory and intra-thoracic organs | 80 (22.7 %) | 40 (22.9 %) | 40 (22.6 %) |
 Eye, brain, and other parts of the central nervous system | 13 (3.7 %) | 11 (6.3 %) | 2 (1.1 %) |
 Breast | 18 (5.1 %) | 9 (5.1 %) | 9 (5.1 %) |
 Lymphoid, haematopoietic, and related tissue | 26 (7.4 %) | 8 (4.6 %) | 18 (10.2 %) |
 Genitourinary | 67 (19.0 %) | 25 (14.3 %) | 42 (23.7 %) |
 Unspecified and other | 43 (12.2 %) | 23 (13.1 %) | 20 (11.3 %) |
Mobility at 3Â months to death (EQ-5D) | Â | Â | Â |
 No problems | 95 (28.4 %) | 42 (25.6 %) | 53 (31.0 %) |
 Some problems | 211 (63.0 %) | 106 (64.6 %) | 105 (61.4 %) |
 Confined to bed | 29 (8.7 %) | 16 (9.8 %) | 13 (7.6 %) |
Self-care at 3Â months to death (EQ-5D) | Â | Â | Â |
 No problems | 148 (44.7 %) | 68 (42.2 %) | 80 (47.1 %) |
 Some problems | 128 (38.7 %) | 68 (42.2 %) | 60 (35.3 %) |
 Unable to wash/dress her/himself | 55 (16.6 %) | 25 (15.5 %) | 30 (17.6 %) |
Usual activities at 3Â months to death (EQ-5D) | Â | Â | Â |
 No problems | 76 (22.8 %) | 31 (18.8 %) | 45 (26.6 %) |
 Some problems | 152 (45.5 %) | 82 (49.7 %) | 70 (41.4 %) |
 Unable to perform usual activities | 106 (31.7 %) | 52 (31.5 %) | 54 (32.0 %) |
Patient’s country of birth |  |  |  |
 UK/Ireland | 288 (81.8 %) | 142 (81.1 %) | 146 (82.5 %) |
 Elsewhere | 64 (18.2 %) | 33 (18.9 %) | 31 (17.5 %) |
Patient’s ethnicity |  |  |  |
 White British/Irish | 291 (84.6 %) | 145 (84.8 %) | 146 (84.4 %) |
 White other/unspecified | 21 (6.1 %) | 13 (7.6 %) | 8 (4.6 %) |
 Other | 32 (9.3 %) | 13 (7.6 %) | 19 (11.0 %) |
IMD 2010 (patient’s residence area) a |  |  |  |
 5th quintile (least deprived) | 89 (25.3 %) | 46 (26.3 %) | 43 (24.3 %) |
 4th quintile | 69 (19.6 %) | 41 (23.4 %) | 28 (15.8 %) |
 3rd quintile | 55 (15.6 %) | 31 (17.7 %) | 24 (13.6 %) |
 2nd quintile | 85 (24.1 %) | 35 (20.0 %) | 50 (28.2 %) |
 1st quintile (most deprived) | 54 (15.3 %) | 22 (12.6 %) | 32 (18.1 %) |
Patient’s marital status |  |  |  |
 Married/with partner | 199 (58.0 %) | 117 (68.8 %) | 82 (47.4 %) |
 Widowed | 86 (25.1 %) | 34 (20.0 %) | 52 (30.1 %) |
 Divorced/separated | 25 (7.3 %) | 9 (5.3 %) | 16 (9.2 %) |
 Never married | 33 (9.6 %) | 10 (5.9 %) | 23 (13.3 %) |
Patient’s living with relatives |  |  |  |
 Yes | 249 (71.6 %) | 145 (83.8 %) | 104 (59.4 %) |
 No | 99 (28.4 %) | 28 (16.2 %) | 71 (40.6 %) |
Patient’s preference for PoD |  |  |  |
 Home | 262 (83.7 %) | 168 (97.7 %) | 94 (66.7 %) |
 Other or no preference | 51 (16.3 %) | 4 (2.3 %) | 47 (33.3 %) |
Relative’s gender |  |  |  |
 Male | 118 (33.8 %) | 53 (30.6 %) | 65 (36.9 %) |
 Female | 231 (66.2 %) | 120 (69.4 %) | 111 (63.1 %) |
Relative’s age |  |  |  |
 Median in years (IQR) | 59 (49–70) | 60 (50–71) | 57 (49–68) |
Relative’s relationship to patient |  |  |  |
 Spouse/partner | 147 (41.9 %) | 85 (48.6 %) | 62 (35.2 %) |
 Son/daughter | 142 (40.5 %) | 75 (42.9 %) | 67 (38.1 %) |
 Brother/sister | 20 (5.7 %) | 4 (2.3 %) | 16 (9.1 %) |
 Other | 42 (12.0 %) | 11 (6.3 %) | 31 (17.6 %) |
Relative’s preference for PoD at 3 months to death |  |  |  |
 Home | 215 (61.8 %) | 159 (91.9 %) | 56 (32.0 %) |
 Other or no preference | 133 (38.2 %) | 14 (8.1 %) | 119 (68.0 %) |
Change in relative’s preference for PoD in 3 months prior death |  |  |  |
 Yes | 42 (12.7 %) | 16 (9.5 %) | 26 (16.0 %) |
 No | 289 (87.3 %) | 153 (90.5 %) | 136 (84.0 %) |