Physicians’ views on identifying and disclosing patients’ last phase of life
Author Information
Author(s): Catherine Owusuaa, Irene van Beelen, Agnes van der Heide, Carin C D van der Rijt
Primary Institution: Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands
Hypothesis
What are physicians' views on the usefulness and feasibility of identifying and disclosing patients’ last phase of life?
Conclusion
Physicians find it important to assess patients' last phase of life and support the use of the surprise question, but face barriers in disclosing expected death.
Supporting Evidence
- Physicians believe that predicting the last phase of life is crucial for timely palliative care.
- Participants found the surprise question to be a useful tool despite its subjective nature.
- Barriers to disclosure include concerns about depriving patients of hope and the impact on the physician-patient relationship.
Takeaway
Doctors think it's important to know when patients are close to dying so they can help them better, but they often find it hard to talk about it.
Methodology
Data from two focus groups were analyzed using thematic analysis with a phenomenological approach.
Potential Biases
Participants' experiences may not represent all physicians due to their specific interest in palliative care.
Limitations
Most participants had an affinity with palliative care, which may have biased their views; the number of pulmonologists was low, and demographic data were not collected.
Participant Demographics
Ten female and five male participants, including oncologists, general practitioners, specialists in elderly care, and pulmonologists.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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