Levenseinde

Discussing end-of-life (EOL) care is challenging when death is not imminent, contributing to poor decision-making and EOL quality-of-life. A communication support program (CSP) targeting these issues may facilitate discussions. We aimed to qualitatively explore responses to a nurse-led CSP, incorporating a question prompt list (QPL—booklet of questions patients/caregivers can ask clinicians), promoting life expectancy and EOL-care discussions.

The International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) has championed the need for quality care to incorporate attention to the psychosocial concerns of cancer patients. Widespread international endorsement of distress as the ‘6th vital sign’ is a major step towards improving access to psychosocial care and reducing the isolation and stigma experienced by many affected by cancer.

The complexity of end-of-life (EOL) communication in cancer care is often increased by family caregivers, who frequently affect the information and decision-making process. We assessed cancer patient preferences (PP), family caregiver preferences (FCP), and family caregiver predictions of patient preferences (FCPPP) regarding the disclosure of terminal status, family involvement in the disclosure process, and EOL choices, and we evaluated the concordances among them.

Depressive symptoms are common in patients with cancer and tend to increase as death approaches. The study aims were to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with cancer in their final 24 h, and their association with other symptoms, sociodemographic and care characteristics.

De tweede editie van de ‘jaarindex psychosociaal oncologisch onderzoek’.is een initiatief van de nederlandse vereniging voor psychosociale oncologie (nvpo) en geeft een overzicht van lopend en actueel onderzoek in de psychosociale oncologie (pSo). Klik hier voor meer info.