1
|
Lee SC, Shih CY, Chen ST, Lee CY, Li SR, Tang CC, Tsai JS, Cheng SY, Huang HL. Factors Contributing to Non-Concordance Between End-of-Life Care and Advance Care Planning. J Pain Symptom Manage 2024; 67:544-553. [PMID: 38479538 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2024.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
CONTEXT Despite making do-not-resuscitate or comfort care decisions during advance care planning, terminally ill patients sometimes receive life-sustaining treatments as they approach end of life. OBJECTIVES To examine factors contributing to nonconcordance between end-of-life care and advance care planning. METHODS In this longitudinal retrospective cohort study, terminally ill patients with a life expectancy shorter than six months, who had previously expressed a preference for do-not-resuscitate or comfort care, were followed up after palliative shared care intervention. An instrument with eight items contributing to non-concordant care, developed through literature review and experts' consensus, was employed. An expert panel reviewed electronic medical records to determine factors associated with non-concordant care for each patient. Statistical analysis, including descriptive statistics and the chi-square test, examines demographic characteristics, and associations. RESULTS Among the enrolled 7871 patients, 97 (1.2%) received non-concordant care. The most prevalent factor was "families being too distressed about the patient's deteriorating condition and therefore being unable to let go" (84.5%) followed by "limited understanding of medical interventions among patients and surrogates" (38.1%), and "lack of patient participation in the decision-making process" (25.8%). CONCLUSIONS This study reveals that factors related to relational autonomy, emotional support, and health literacy may contribute to non-concordance between advance care planning and end-of-life care. In the future, developing an advance care planning model emphasizes respecting relational autonomy, providing emotional support, and enhancing health literacy could help patients receiving a goal concordant and holistic end-of-life care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Chieh Lee
- Department of Family Medicine (S.-C.L.), Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, No. 69, Guizi Road, Taishan District, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Yuan Shih
- Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine and Hospital (C.-Y.S., J.-S.T.,S.-Y.C.,H.-L.H.), National Taiwan University, No. 7, Chung Shan S. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shan-Ting Chen
- Department of Nursing (S.-T.C.,C.-Y.L.,S.-R.L.,C.-C.T.), National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7, Chung Shan S. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Yi Lee
- Department of Nursing (S.-T.C.,C.-Y.L.,S.-R.L.,C.-C.T.), National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7, Chung Shan S. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shin-Rung Li
- Department of Nursing (S.-T.C.,C.-Y.L.,S.-R.L.,C.-C.T.), National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7, Chung Shan S. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Chun Tang
- Department of Nursing (S.-T.C.,C.-Y.L.,S.-R.L.,C.-C.T.), National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7, Chung Shan S. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei, Taiwan; School of Nursing, College of Medicine (C.-C.T.), National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jaw-Shiun Tsai
- Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine and Hospital (C.-Y.S., J.-S.T.,S.-Y.C.,H.-L.H.), National Taiwan University, No. 7, Chung Shan S. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shao-Yi Cheng
- Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine and Hospital (C.-Y.S., J.-S.T.,S.-Y.C.,H.-L.H.), National Taiwan University, No. 7, Chung Shan S. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsien-Liang Huang
- Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine and Hospital (C.-Y.S., J.-S.T.,S.-Y.C.,H.-L.H.), National Taiwan University, No. 7, Chung Shan S. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Betker L, Senßfelder A, Knorrenschild JR, Volberg C, Berthold D, Seifart C, von Blanckenburg P. Difficulties of Cancer Patients' Relatives in End-of-Life Discussions: Validation of a Questionnaire. J Pain Symptom Manage 2024; 67:420-428. [PMID: 38355073 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2024.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
CONTEXT Despite the potential benefits and the desire for end-of-life communication, it rarely occurs in the familial context. Relatives play a significant role in the communication process; thus, it is crucial to understand the difficulties that they face. OBJECTIVES To develop and evaluate the relatives' version of the Difficulties in End-of-Life Discussions - Family Inventory (DEOLD-FI-r) regarding its factor structure, reliability and validity. METHODS Relatives of patients with advanced cancer were recruited in a German hospital. The factor structure of the questionnaire was explored. Construct validity was examined through correlations between the DEOLD-FI-r and measures of avoidance of cancer communication, quality of life, distress, and experienced difficulty during end-of-life discussions. Additionally, we examined the group difference between those who had and had not engaged in the conversation. RESULTS About 111 relatives completed the survey (mean age 55.5 years, 52% female). The final version of the DEOLD-FI-r contained 23 items (α = .92). The exploratory factor analysis resulted in three factors explaining 74% of the variance. Each factor described another dimension of potential communication barriers in end-of-life discussions: 1) Own emotional burden, 2) Relational and patient-related difficulties, 3) Negative attitudes. Construct validity was supported by correlations consistent with our hypotheses and less reported communication difficulty by those who had already talked about the end-of-life with their relative (t(106) = 5.38, P < .001, d = 0.8). CONCLUSION The results indicate that the DEOLD-FI-r is a valid and reliable instrument for the systematic assessment of difficulties in family end-of-life communication. By focusing on relatives, it complements the already validated patient-version.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liv Betker
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy (L.B., A.S., P.v.B.), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Alina Senßfelder
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy (L.B., A.S., P.v.B.), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jorge Riera Knorrenschild
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital of Giessen and Marburg (J.R.K.), Marburg, Germany
| | - Christian Volberg
- Department of Medicine, Division of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (C.V.), University Hospital of Giessen and Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Department of Medicine, Research Group Medical Ethics (C.V., C.S.), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Berthold
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology and Palliative Care (D.B.), University Hospital of Giessen and Marburg, Giessen, Germany
| | - Carola Seifart
- Department of Medicine, Research Group Medical Ethics (C.V., C.S.), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Pia von Blanckenburg
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy (L.B., A.S., P.v.B.), Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Barata A, Dhawale T, Newcomb RA, Amonoo HL, Nelson AM, Yang D, Karpinski K, Holmbeck K, Farnam E, Frigault M, Johnson PC, El-Jawahri A. Quality of Life and Prognostic Awareness in Caregivers of Patients Receiving Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy. Transplant Cell Ther 2024; 30:452.e1-452.e11. [PMID: 38242441 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtct.2024.01.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Caregivers of patients undergoing chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR-T) play a critical role during treatment, yet their experience remains largely unaddressed. We aimed to longitudinally describe quality of life (QoL) and psychological distress, as well as prognostic awareness, in caregivers and explore the association of prognosis awareness with baseline psychological distress. We conducted a longitudinal study of caregivers of patients undergoing CAR-T and examined QoL (CAReGiverOncology QoL questionnaire) and psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) prior to CAR-T (baseline) and at days 7, 30, 90, and 180 post-CAR-T. At baseline, caregivers and patients completed the Prognostic Awareness Impact Scale, which examines cognitive understanding of prognosis, emotional coping with prognosis, and adaptive response (ie, capacity to use prognostic awareness to inform life decisions). We enrolled 58% (69 of 120) of eligible caregivers. Caregivers reported QoL impairments that did not change over time (B = 0.09; P = .452). The rates of clinically significant depression and anxiety symptoms were 47.7% and 20.0%, respectively, at baseline, and 39.1% and 17.4% at 180 days. One-third (32%) of the caregivers and patients reported that their oncologist said the cancer is curable. Caregivers' greater emotional coping with prognosis was associated with fewer symptoms of anxiety (B = -.17; P < .001) and depression (B = -.02; P < .001). Cognitive understanding of prognosis and adaptive response were not associated with psychological distress. Caregivers reported QoL impairments throughout the study period. A substantial proportion of caregivers experienced psychological distress and reported misperceptions about the prognosis, highlighting the need for supportive care interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Barata
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
| | - Tejaswini Dhawale
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Richard A Newcomb
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Hermioni L Amonoo
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ashley M Nelson
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Daniel Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kyle Karpinski
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Katherine Holmbeck
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Emelia Farnam
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Matt Frigault
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - P Connor Johnson
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Areej El-Jawahri
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Levoy K, Ashare RL, Ganta N, O'Connor N, Meghani SH. Caregiver Engagement in Serious Illness Communication in a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital Setting. Am J Hosp Palliat Care 2023:10499091231219799. [PMID: 38100624 DOI: 10.1177/10499091231219799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
CONTEXT Prolonged management of critical illnesses in long-term acute care hospitals (LTACH) makes serious illness communication (SIC), a clinical imperative. SIC in LTACH is challenging as clinicians often lack training and patients are typically unable to participate-making caregivers central. OBJECTIVES This qualitative descriptive study characterized caregiver engagement in SIC encounters, while considering influencing factors, following the implementation of Ariadne Labs' SIC training at a LTACH in the Northeastern United States. METHODS Clinicians' documented SIC notes (2019-2020) were analyzed using directed content analysis. Codes were grouped into four categories generated from two factors that influence SIC-evidence of prognostic understanding (yes/no) and documented preferences (yes/no)-and caregiver engagement themes identified within each category. RESULTS Across 125 patient cases, 251 SIC notes were analyzed. In the presence of prognostic understanding and documented preferences, caregivers acted as upholders of patients' wishes (29%). With prognostic understanding but undocumented preferences, caregivers were postponers of healthcare decision-making (34%). When lacking prognostic understanding but having documented preferences, caregivers tended to be searchers, intent on identifying continued treatment options (13%). With poor prognostic understanding and undocumented preferences, caregivers were strugglers, having difficulty with the clinicians or family unit over healthcare decision-making (21%). CONCLUSION The findings suggest that two factors-prognostic understanding and documented preferences-are critical factors clinicians can leverage in tailoring SIC to meet caregivers' SIC needs in the LTACH setting. Such strategies shift attention away from SIC content alone toward factors that influence caregivers' ability to meaningfully engage in SIC to advance healthcare decision-making.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Levoy
- Department of Community and Health Systems, Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Indiana University Center for Aging Research, Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Rebecca L Ashare
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Niharika Ganta
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nina O'Connor
- Temple Center for Population Health, Temple Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Salimah H Meghani
- NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health, Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|