The Importance of Family Meetings at the End of Life
Author Information
Author(s): Yu Tsung-Hsien, Wei Chung-Jen, Wu Wei-Wen, Lu Frank Leigh
Primary Institution: National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences
Hypothesis
What characteristics are associated with the use of family meetings and what effects do these meetings have on end-of-life care?
Conclusion
Family meetings positively influence end-of-life care by increasing hospice usage and decreasing the likelihood of CPR.
Supporting Evidence
- 71,943 (9.07%) of the study population had ever held a family meeting.
- Use of family meetings increased the use of hospice care (OR: 4.949).
- Use of family meetings decreased the use of CPR (OR: 0.208).
- Demographic characteristics influenced the initiation time of family meetings.
Takeaway
Family meetings help families talk about care for loved ones who are dying, making it more likely they will choose comfort care instead of trying to prolong life.
Methodology
A retrospective observational study using data from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance claims database, cancer registry, and death registry from 2012 to 2017.
Potential Biases
Cultural issues may affect the decision-making process regarding end-of-life care.
Limitations
Potential underestimation of family meeting utilization due to unrecorded meetings and lack of certain relevant variables.
Participant Demographics
Most participants were aged 40 or older, 59.67% were male, and around 82% were married or widowed.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
95% C.I. = 4.856–5.044 for hospice use; 95% C.I. = 0.199–0.218 for CPR use
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website