Assessment of the relationship between disease progression and goals of care by individuals with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and their caregivers

Five Questions to Help Prompt End-of-Life Planning in Neuromuscular Disease

Patients with neuromuscular disease are living longer lives but continue to have significant and often unpredictable morbidity and mortality. End-of-life planning for these patients is thus an essential part of their medical care. This planning should include the following topics: health care surrogates, swallowing and nutrition, daytime respiratory support, and all aspects of when end of life is near. Adult-onset and early-onset diseases may require different approaches to these topics. All patients with neuromuscular disease will benefit from these discussions to best reach patient-centered goals. We present health care providers these five questions and explanations as a guide.

End of Life in Boys and Young Men With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - The Perspective of Dying Men and Their Families: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Evidence

Understanding the perceptions and experiences related to the end of life (EoL) of boys and men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy from their own and/or family perspective is limited based on the available qualitative empirical studies. This systematic review was done with a thematic synthesis of qualitative evidence according to the PRISMA Statement Guidelines and the SPIDER search tool. The review included empirical, qualitative, and relevant full-text studies published in 2000-2023 in the EBSCO Discovery Service, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and ProQuest databases. From o total of eight included qualitative studies, four main key themes were identified: "Being a parent/caregiver" - psychosocial aspects, needs, and experiences; "Communication about EoL with healthcare and other professionals" - positive experiences and personal shortcomings; "Discussions about…" - the issue of EoL, dying and death; and "End of life" - end-of-life care, planning and the need for palliative care.