Factors Affecting Patients' Preferences for and Actual Discussions About End-of-Life Care.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Discussions about end-of-life care are often difficult for patients and clinicians, and inadequate communication poses a barrier to patients receiving the care they desire.

Objectives

To understand factors that facilitate end-of-life care discussions that guide interventions to improve care.

Methods

We examined baseline data from an ongoing randomized trial to evaluate associations between patients' self-reported desire for, and occurrence of, discussions about end-of-life care and factors influencing these discussions. Factors included emotional symptoms and barriers and facilitators to discussions. The sample included patients with serious illness (n = 473) and their primary or specialty care clinicians (n = 128). Regression analyses were adjusted for confou

SUBMITTER: Fakhri S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5023466 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature