1 research outputs found
Hospital care for the dying patient with cancer: does an advance care planning invitation influence bereaved relatives’ experiences? A two country survey
Objectives Advance care planning (ACP) is
not systematically performed in Argentina or
Norway. We used the post-bereavement survey
of the ERANet-LAC International Care Of the
Dying Evaluation (CODE) project (2017–2020)
to examine the proportion of relatives who were
offered an ACP conversation, the proportion of
those not offered it who would have wanted
it and whether the outcomes differed between
those offered a conversation and those not.
Methods Relatives after cancer deaths in
hospitals answered the CODE questionnaire 6–
8weeks post bereavement, by post (Norway) or
interview (Argentina). Two additional questions
asked if the relative and patient had been invited
to a conversation about wishes for the patient’s
remaining lifetime, and, if not invited, whether
they would have wanted such a conversation.
The data were analysed using mixed-effects
ordinal regression models.
Results 276 participants (Argentina 98 and
Norway 178) responded (56% spouses, 31%
children, 68%women, age 18–80+). Fifty-
six per cent had been invited, and they had
significantly more positive perceptions about care
and support than those not invited. Sixty-eight
per cent of the participants not invited would
have wanted an invitation, and they had less
favourable perceptions about the care, especially
concerning emotional and spiritual support.
Conclusions Relatives who had been invited
to a conversation about wishes for the patient’s
remaining lifetime had more positive perceptions
about patient care and support for the relatives
in the patient’s final days of life. A majority of
the relatives who had not been invited to an ACP
conversation would have wanted it