TY - JOUR
T1 - Comparative study of clinicians' and family members' perceptions of patients' end-of-life experiences
AU - Suzuki, Kozue
AU - Morita, Tatsuya
AU - Mori, Masanori
AU - Azuma, Yukari
AU - Funaki, Hiromi
AU - Amano, Koji
AU - Imai, Kengo
AU - Tanaka, Keiko
AU - Kizawa, Yoshiyuki
AU - Tsuneto, Satoru
AU - Shima, Yasuo
AU - Masukawa, Kento
AU - Miyashita, Mitsunori
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by the Japan Hospice Palliative Care Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Objective: End-of-life experiences (ELEs), such as deathbed visions (DBVs), have been reported worldwide. However, ELEs have rarely been discussed in clinical practice, possibly because of the different perceptions of ELEs among clinicians and families. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the differences in perception regarding ELEs, especially DBVs, between clinicians and families. Methods: We conducted a multicentre, prospective and observational study with patients with cancer. After the patients' death, clinicians recorded their perceptions of patients' ELEs during the palliative care unit admission, and bereaved families responded to a questionnaire about ELEs. The primary outcome was the frequency and concordance of DBVs from the perspective of bereaved family members and clinicians. The second outcome was each group's frequency of terminal lucidity and terminal coincidence. Results: The study included 443 patients. DBVs were reported more frequently by family members than clinicians (14.0% vs 2.7%, p<0.001). Among family members, terminal lucidity and terminal coincidence were observed at 7% and 7.9%, respectively, while only one case each was reported by clinicians. Conclusions: Clinicians and family members may perceive ELEs differently. Enabling patients and their families to talk about ELEs would assist in optimising grief care.
AB - Objective: End-of-life experiences (ELEs), such as deathbed visions (DBVs), have been reported worldwide. However, ELEs have rarely been discussed in clinical practice, possibly because of the different perceptions of ELEs among clinicians and families. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the differences in perception regarding ELEs, especially DBVs, between clinicians and families. Methods: We conducted a multicentre, prospective and observational study with patients with cancer. After the patients' death, clinicians recorded their perceptions of patients' ELEs during the palliative care unit admission, and bereaved families responded to a questionnaire about ELEs. The primary outcome was the frequency and concordance of DBVs from the perspective of bereaved family members and clinicians. The second outcome was each group's frequency of terminal lucidity and terminal coincidence. Results: The study included 443 patients. DBVs were reported more frequently by family members than clinicians (14.0% vs 2.7%, p<0.001). Among family members, terminal lucidity and terminal coincidence were observed at 7% and 7.9%, respectively, while only one case each was reported by clinicians. Conclusions: Clinicians and family members may perceive ELEs differently. Enabling patients and their families to talk about ELEs would assist in optimising grief care.
KW - bereavement
KW - hospice care
KW - spiritual care
KW - terminal care
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U2 - 10.1136/spcare-2022-003883
DO - 10.1136/spcare-2022-003883
M3 - Article
C2 - 36220342
AN - SCOPUS:85142830844
SN - 2045-435X
JO - BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care
JF - BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care
M1 - spcare-2022-003883
ER -
