Prevelance and determinants of diagnostic and prognostic disclosure by radiotherapists and surgeons to patients with terminal cancer in Hong Kong

This paper identifies the prevalence and determinants of diagnostic and prognostic information given to terminally ill cancer patients in Hong Kong. Surgeons and radiotherapists (n = 153) were interviewed about the information they gave to their most recently deceased cancer patients. This was explored in relation to doctors' and patients' demographic data, diagnosis, the stage of disease at disclosure, and doctors' attitude. Diagnostic information was disclosed partially in 68% and fully in 46% of cases. Prognosis was disclosed partially in 38% and fully in less than 10% of cases. Determinants of diagnostic disclosure included doctors' attitudes about death, and perceived responsibility for disclosure. The doctor's training and work, and the patient's request for information determined the level of disclosure. After adjustment for a number of social and demographic factors, only the patient's education level remained a significant determinant of the level of prognostic disclosure. A significant proportion of terminally-ill cancer patients do not engage in discussion of diagnosis or prognosis with the doctor caring for them during the last stages of their disease. This reflects the unwillingness to discuss such matters, giving a low priority to information provision, paternalism or other factors, such as little importance being attached to such topics at the late stage of cancer. Thus many cancer patients may fail to learn important information about their disease if they have not engaged in discussion of these topics earlier in their illness. The results of this paper have important implications for medical education in caring for patients with cancer.published_or_final_versio

Pulse breaking recovery in fiber lasers

Author name used in this publication: H. Y. TamAuthor name used in this publication: C. Lu2008-2009 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Induced solitons formed by cross-polarization coupling in a birefringent cavity fiber laser

Author name used in this publication: H. Y. TamVersion of RecordPublishe

Soliton interaction in a fiber ring laser

Author name used in this publication: H. Y. Tam2005-2006 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Generation of multiple gain-guided solitons in a fiber laser

Author name used in this publication: H. Y. TamAuthor name used in this publication: C. Lu2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Pulse-train nonuniformity in a fiber soliton ring laser mode-locked by using the nonlinear polarization rotation technique

Author name used in this publication: P. ShumAuthor name used in this publication: H. Y. Tam2003-2004 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Gain dispersion for dissipative soliton generation in all-normal-dispersion fiber lasers

Author name used in this publication: C. LuAuthor name used in this publication: H. Y. TamAuthor name used in this publication: P. K. A. Wai2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Coexistence of polarization-locked and polarization-rotating vector solitons in a fiber laser with SESAM

Author name used in this publication: H. Y. Tam2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Bound states of dispersion-managed solitons in a fiber laser at near zero dispersion

Author name used in this publication: H. Y. TamAuthor name used in this publication: C. Lu2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

C-band single-longitudinal mode lanthanum co-doped bismuth based erbium doped fiber ring laser

Author name used in this publication: X. H. FengAuthor name used in this publication: H. Y. TamAuthor name used in this publication: C. LuAuthor name used in this publication: P. K. A. Wai2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe