Table 2 Patients who died of cancer, COPD or coronary heart failure (CHF) during the intervention period

Age in years (mean (sd)

73.0 (14.7)

74.0 (13.1)

Male sex n (%)

106/202 (53 %)

144/258 (56 %)

Primary diagnosis n (%)

 Cancer

152/216 (70 %)

178/271 (66 %)

 CHF

32/216 (15 %)

52/271 (19 %)

 COPD

26/216 (12 %)

20/271 (7 %)

 Combination of cancer, COPD, CHF

6/216 (3 %)

21/271 (8 %)

Contact(s) with out-of-hours GP service last 3 months n (%)

114/209 (55 %)

157/268 (59 %)

By phone

0.79 (2.6)

0.80 (1.5)

Consultation at service

0.06 (0.3)

0.09 (0.5)

Home visits

0.85 (1.6)

1.14 (2.2)

Total

1.70 (3.3)

2.03 (2.9)

Contact(s) with own GP last month n (%)

188/212 (89 %)

250/268 (93 %)

By phone office hours

2.33 (2.9)

2.71 (3.0)

Home visits office hours

5.59 (5.1)

4.42 (3.6)

By phone out of office hours

0.19 (0.7)

0.10 (0.5)

Home visits out of office hours

0.46 (1.1)

0.38 (1.1)

Total

8.58 (7.5)

7.62 (6.0)

Location of death n (%)

Home

103/210 (49 %)

124/267 (46 %)

Hospital

67/210 (32 %)

78/267 (29 %)

Nursing home

13/210 (6 %)

16/267 (6 %)

Care home

12/210 (6 %)

21/267 (8 %)

Hospice

14/210 (7 %)

25/267 (9 %)

Other location

1/210 (1 %)

3/267 (1 %)

Hospital admission(s) last 3 months n (%)

116/210 (55 %)

159/255 (62 %)

Hospital admissions last 3 months mean (sd)

0.82 (0.9)

0.89 (0.9)