Characteristics of family members who participated in the study
| Characteristic | No. (%)* n = 205 |
|---|---|
| Age, yr, mean ± SD (range) | 60.2 (21.0–91.0) |
| Sex | |
| Male | 47 (22.9) |
| Female | 158 (77.1) |
| Relationship to patient | |
| Spouse or partner | 54 (26.3) |
| Daughter or son | 125 (61.0) |
| Sister or brother | 4 (2.0) |
| Other | 22 (10.7) |
| Education | |
| Completed high school | 170 (82.9) |
| Did not complete high school | 35 (17.1) |
| Race; language | |
| White | 180 (87.8) |
| White; speaks language other than English or French | 38 (18.5) |
| Non-white; speaks language other than English or French | 16 (7.8) |
| Surrogate decision-maker | 122 (59.5) |
| Family member of a participating patient† | 94 (45.9) |
Note: SD = standard deviation.
↵* Unless otherwise stated.
↵† Of the 205 family members who participated, 111 were family members of patients who did not participate, either because they were excluded or they chose not to consent. Reasons for patient exclusion: a spoken language other than English or French (n = 33), cognitive impairment (n = 49), a request by family members (n = 3), being too ill (n = 3), difficulty speaking (n = 2) or hearing (n = 1), the patient was missed (n = 1) or for other reasons (n = 4). Reasons for lack of consent: lack of interest (n = 5), participation was too upsetting (n = 3), the patient was too tired (n = 3), other (n = 4).