What factors influence patient autonomy in healthcare decision-making? A systematic review of studies from the Global South

BACKGROUND

The principle of respect for autonomy (PRA) is a central tenet of bioethics. In the quest for a global bioethics, it is pertinent to ask whether this principle can be applied as it is to cultures and societies that are devoid of the Western sociopolitical historical pressures that led to its emergence. Relational autonomists have argued for a more inclusive approach to patient autonomy which takes into account factors such as interdependency and social relations. However, at the outset of any relational approach, it is necessary to identify underlying factors that influence patient autonomy in non-Western cultures.

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a review of the literature to uncover the mechanisms through which social, cultural, and religious factors influence and impact the application of the PRA in healthcare decision-making in non-Western cultures and societies.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review through a comprehensive search of three major electronic databases of biomedical sciences. Returned citations were imported to Covidence, full texts were assessed for eligibility, included articles were thoroughly reviewed and data was synthesized. PRISMA guidelines were followed.

RESULTS

Our search retrieved 590 non-duplicate results, 50 of which were included after screening and full-text eligibility checks. The included studies were predominantly qualitative in nature, with few quantitative, mixed-methods, and review studies included. Our synthesis of data identified nine key factors that influenced patients' autonomous decision-making through cultural, social, religious, or intersectional pathways.

CONCLUSION

Two main conclusions emerge from this review. Firstly, there is a notable dearth of bioethical research examining the influence of diverse factors on patients' inclination towards different conceptions of autonomy. Secondly, the analysis of prevalent collectivist cultures and deference of autonomy adds value to the solution-oriented relational autonomy debate. This raises questions regarding how decision-making can be truly autonomous in the presence of such large-scale factors, warranting further attention.

Clinician's perspectives on gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

We aimed to understand clinician views regarding gene therapy as a future treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and potential barriers and facilitators to its use.

METHODS

We interviewed ten clinicians who treat patients with AD. Clinicians helped design a semi-structured interview including the following domains: establishing understanding, cost/access, quality of life, and religion/spirituality. Transcripts were analyzed by a coding team using descriptive content analysis with inductive approach.

RESULTS

Clinicians identified three main areas of concern: 1) potential clinician and patient understanding of gene therapy and Alzheimer's disease 2) consideration of inequity (i.e., care access, disease awareness along with education level, family support, trust in care systems); and 3) considerations in decision-making (i.e., religious/spiritual beliefs and method of treatment delivery as a decision-making tools).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Findings highlight areas for knowledge-building for patients and clinicians alike. Clinicians must be aware of patient/family educational needs and gaps in their own clinical knowledge before engaging patients/families with new technology. Allowing time for questions is crucial to building rapport and trust.

Factors related to advance directives completion among cancer patients: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Advance directives (ADs) has recently been considered as an important component of palliative care for patients with advanced cancer and is a legally binding directive regarding a person's future medical care. It is used when a person is unable to participate in the decision-making process about their own care. Therefore, the present systematic review investigated the factors related to ADs from the perspective of cancer patients.

METHODS

A systematic review study was searched in four scientific databases: PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest using with related keywords and without date restrictions. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Hawker criterion. The research papers were analyzed as directed content analysis based on the theory of planned behavior.

RESULTS

Out of 5900 research papers found, 22 were included in the study. The perspectives of 9061 cancer patients were investigated, of whom 4347 were men and 4714 were women. The mean ± SD of the patients' age was 62.04 ± 6.44. According to TPB, factors affecting ADs were categorized into four categories, including attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and external factors affecting the model. The attitude category includes two subcategories: "Lack of knowledge of the ADs concept" and "Previous experience of the disease", the subjective norm category includes three subcategories: "Social support and interaction with family", "Respecting the patient's wishes" and "EOL care choices". Also, the category of perceived control behavior was categorized into two sub-categories: "Decision-making" and "Access to the healthcare system", as well as external factors affecting the model, including "socio-demographic characteristics".

CONCLUSION

The studies indicate that attention to EOL care and the wishes of patients regarding receiving medical care and preservation of human dignity, the importance of facilitating open communication between patients and their families, and different perspectives on providing information, communicating bad news and making decisions require culturally sensitive approaches. Finally, the training of cancer care professionals in the palliative care practice, promoting the participation of health care professionals in ADs activities and creating an AD-positive attitude should be strongly encouraged.

Advance care planning among ethnic/racial minority older adults: Prevalence of and factors associated with informal talks, durable power of attorney for health care, and living will

OBJECTIVES

Given the ethnic/racial disparities in end-of-life care, this study aimed to describe and identify factors affecting engagement in three types of advance care planning including informal talk, living will, and durable power of attorney for health care among ethnic/racial minority older adults. Living will refers to any written instruction about medical treatments at the end-of-life while durable power of attorney for health care allows someone to make a health care decision when an individual is incapable of making a reasoned decision.

DESIGN

We used a subset of racial/ethnic minority groups drawn from the second wave of the National Health Aging and Trends Survey (n = 543) collected in 2012.

RESULTS

The descriptive result showed that informal talk (60%) happened most followed by durable power of attorney for health care (30%) and living will (26.5%) completion. Multivariate logistic regression analyses found that higher education and lower preference toward life-sustaining treatment were associated with engagement in all three types of advance care planning. Having multimorbidity and U.S. born were associated with having informal talk. Non-Hispanic others were more likely to have informal talk and complete durable power of attoreny for health care to compared to Blacks. Furthermore, married older adults were more likely to complete living wills compared to those separated/divorced or never married.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings about different factors affecting engagement in advance care planning indicate that we may need targeted approaches to promote each type of advance care planning for ethnic/racial minority older adults.

What Makes Chinese Adult Children Behave Differently during Parents' End of Life: A Discriminant Analysis of Macao Chinese

The daily practice of filial piety (FP) is well prescribed under the traditional filial norms in the Chinese community. However, exploration of FP practices at the end of parents' lives is limited. The current study explored the FP representation and good death preferences of Macao Chinese. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted and discriminant analysis was used to identify possible predictors of FP representation in the context of parents' end of life. Results showed that Macao Chinese were inclined to perform most of the filial duties in the last journey of their parents. Among 705 participants, 150 (21.3%) tended to practice authoritarian FP, and 555 (78.7%) tended to practice reciprocal FP. Age, education, religion, and good death preferences were identified as predictors of different FP representation groups. The findings could help clinicians to obtain a preliminary perception of FP representation of Chinese patients and to determine the appropriate approach for end-of-life care from a family perspective.

Call the Rezadora: Aiding Latino Families at the End of Life

INTRODUCTION

The rezadora, a lay spiritual leader, provides support to Latino families as they provide end-of-life (EOL) care for loved ones. The purpose of this study was to learn about the work of the rezadora in Guatemala as a resource for Latinos with serious illness in the United States.

METHODS

An ethnographic exploratory case study was conducted during summer 2018 in rural Guatemala. We interviewed three rezadoras who resided in two villages. The study yielded two cases, the single case and the paired case, which allowed for a holistic view of how the rezadora serves the community.

RESULTS

Content and thematic analysis led to two themes: Essence of being called and Power of prayerful song. Essence of being called was represented by the prominence of the rezadora and their perpetual faith work. Power of prayerful song was characterized through the mission, customs, and the presence of the rezadora. A good death was aided by the rezadora in this context.

CONCLUSIONS

As the Latino population ages in place, the need for palliative and EOL care services will increase. Lay spiritual leaders could enhance the palliative care teams in these communities and improve the quality of life for Latinos with serious illness.

Factors associated with facilitating advance care planning based on the theory of planned behaviour

BACKGROUND

In Japan, educational support for advance care planning is still limited, and the factors facilitating advance care planning practice have not been identified. The aim of this study is to identify the factors associated with advance care planning practice in Japan using the theory of planned behaviour.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study through a nationwide online questionnaire survey with 446 Japanese residents aged 20 years and older. After categorizing participants into two groups based on who performed advance care planning, comparisons were made (univariate analysis) regarding attitudes towards advance care planning, willingness to perform advance care planning, subjective norms, sense of control in performing advance care planning, presence of and relationship with a family doctor, experience of seeing or using a ventilator, and degree of self-determination (Autonomy Preference Index) as well as sociodemographic data. In addition, a logistic regression analysis was performed using the factors with significant differences in the univariate analysis as independent variables and the existence of the implementation of advance care planning as a dependent variable.

RESULTS

The group with advance care planning consisted of 106 participants (23.8%), and the group without advance care planning comprised 340 participants (76.2%). Through logistic regression analysis, age (odds ratio: 1.020), subjective norms (odds ratio: 3.276) and experience with mechanical ventilation (odds ratio: 1.997) were extracted as significant factors influencing advance care planning implementation.

CONCLUSIONS

Advance care planning may be facilitated by providing support not only to the patients but also to their family members to be positively disposed towards advance care planning and by offering comprehensive education regarding using a ventilator.

Four Kinds of Hard: An Understanding of Cancer and Death among Latino Community Leaders

Early integration of palliative care after a diagnosis of cancer improves outcomes, yet such care for Latino populations is lacking in rural regions of the United States. We used a participatory action research design with Latino community leaders from emerging immigrant communities in North Carolina to explore sociocultural perspectives on cancer and death. Thematic analysis was conceptualized as Four Kinds of Hard represented by four themes: Receiving an Eviction Notice, Getting in the Good Book, Talking is (Sometimes) Taboo, and Seeing Their Pain Makes us Suffer. These themes captured fears of deportation, coping with cancer through faithfulness, ambivalence about advance care planning, and a desire to spare families from suffering. Findings suggest strategies to improve conversations about end-of-life wishes when facing advanced illness and death. This study demonstrates the importance of training Latino community leaders to improve palliative care and bridge service gaps for Latino families living in emerging rural communities.

Evolution of the Conceptualization of Filial Piety in the Global Context: From Skin to Skeleton

Social science researchers often define filial piety as a set of norms, values, and practices regarding how children should behave toward their parents. In this article, we trace the conceptual development of filial piety research in Chinese and other societies to highlight the assumptions underlying this traditional approach to filial piety research. We identify the limitations of these assumptions, including the problem of an evolving definition and lack of cross-cultural applicability. We then advocate an alternative framework that overcomes these limitations by focusing on the deep structure of filial piety: the dual filial piety model (DFPM). The DFPM applies the concept of contextualized personality to reconceptualize filial piety in terms of authoritarian and reciprocal psychological motivations particular to the parent-child context. Because the focus is on a universal psychological mechanism rather than cultural norms, values, and behavior, the DFPM may be applied for investigation of filial piety at individual, social, and cultural levels within and across various societies. We discuss application of the DFPM in relation to existing filial piety and intergenerational relations research from several societies and conclude with a comparison to other recent proposals for measuring Chinese filial piety.

Espiritualidad en el contexto de cuidados paliativos oncológicos dirigidos a personas mayores

La última década ha estudiado la faceta “espiritualidad” en el contexto de cuidados paliativos oncológicos en personas mayores desde perspectivas cuantitativas, cualitativas y mixtas. El estudio busca develar –en este contexto– el significado de espiritualidad. Se revisa literatura indexada en buscador PubMed vía Medline entre los años 2009 y 2019, con acceso on line, a texto completo, en forma anónima, en idiomas inglés-español y, análogamente, con búsqueda manual en la Revista Medicina Paliativa. Los resultados arrojan 50 artículos de pertinencia temática y cuatro categorías. Se concluye que existen desafíos relacionados con el significado de espiritualidad y calidad de vida, formación y perspectivas de invetigación.

Perspectives of elders and their adult children of Black and minority ethnic heritage on end-of-life conversations: A meta-ethnography

BACKGROUND

People of Black and minority ethnic heritage are more likely to die receiving life supporting measures and less likely to die at home. End-of-life care decision making often involves adult children as advance care planning is uncommon in these communities. Physicians report family distress as being a major factor in continuing with futile care.

AIM

To develop a deeper understanding of the perspectives of elders of Black and minority ethnic heritage and their children, about end-of-life conversations that take place within the family, using a meta-ethnographic approach.

DESIGN

Systematic interpretive exploration using the process of meta-ethnography was utilised.

DATA SOURCES

CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed and PsycINFO databases were searched. Inclusion criteria included studies published between 2005 and 2019 and studies of conversations between ethnic minority elders and family about end-of-life care. Citation snowballing was used to ensure all appropriate references were identified. A total of 13 studies met the inclusion criteria and required quality level using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme.

RESULTS

The following four storylines were constructed: 'My family will carry out everything for me; it is trust'; 'No Mum, don't talk like that'; 'I leave it in God's hands'; and 'Who's going to look after us?' The synthesis reflected the dichotomous balance of trust and burden avoidance that characterises the perspectives of Black and minority ethnic elders to end-of-life care planning with their children.

Discussing End-of-Life Care Preferences With Family: Role of Race and Ethnicity

This study examined racial, ethnic, and other factors associated with whether older adults discussed their end-of-life (EOL) care wishes with family. A sample of 223 White, 95 African American, and 46 Hispanic adults aged 50 and older from a five-county area of Florida answered questions about sociodemographics, health, and preferences for involving family/friends in health-care decision-making. Analyses describe associations between whether discussions occurred and race/ethnicity and other factors, including preferences for family/friend involvement in health care. In descriptive analyses, one third ( n = 113) had not discussed EOL care. No differences were evident between African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites. In multivariate analyses, EOL care discussions were less likely for Hispanics. Further analysis showed this lower likelihood existed among Hispanics with lesser family/friend involvement. Ethnicity influences EOL care discussion, moderated by family/friend involvement, though results are considered preliminary. Knowing the involvement of patients’ family/friends could help providers initiate EOL care discussions.

An integrative review of stakeholder views on Advance Care Directives (ACD): Barriers and facilitators to initiation, documentation, storage, and implementation

OBJECTIVE

To examine the views and experiences of patients and their health care providers on developing advance care planning (ACP) and advance care directives (ACD); and determine barriers and facilitators to ACD development, storage, and use, including implications for people with communication disability.

METHOD

An integrative review of 93 studies, analysed according to their content themes.

RESULTS

Content themes encapsulated the initiation, documentation, and implementation stages of ACP/ACD. Lack of guidance for initiating and supporting ACP/ACD impedes discussions, and both patients and healthcare providers avoid discussions owing to fear of dying and reluctance to think about end-of-life.

CONCLUSIONS

There are several barriers and facilitators to the initiation of ACP discussions, documentation and implementation of ACD, and little research exploring the views of legal professionals on the development, storage, or use of ACP documents. Further research is needed to explore the timing and responsibility of both legal and health professionals in initiating and supporting ACP discussions.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

It is important for healthcare providers to raise ACP discussions regularly so that patients have time to make informed advance care decisions. Storage of the document in an electronic health record might facilitate better access to and implementation of patients' end-of-life care decisions.

Advance Care Planning and Advance Directives: A Multimedia Education Program in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

This community-based cluster randomized trial evaluated the efficacy of a 4-week multimedia educational intervention followed by telephone consultations at Weeks 12 and 24 on the selection of a hospice program for end-of-life care and completion of an advance directive (AD) in case of future advanced dementia. One hundred twenty-three cognitively intact older adults from five community centers in Taiwan were randomly assigned to two groups. The study showed that 100% of participants in the intervention group (two community centers, n = 52) selected hospice program care for end-of-life care and signed ADs, whereas those in the control group were less likely to do both (p < .001). Participants in the intervention group also had a positive change in knowledge, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention of advance care planning (ACP) for advanced dementia. The theoretically based multimedia educational program was effective in assisting ACP implementation and completing ADs among community-dwelling older adults.

Facilitators and Barriers for Advance Care Planning Among Ethnic and Racial Minorities in the U.S.: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature

Growing evidence suggests a low engagement in advance care planning (ACP) among ethnic minorities in the U.S. The purpose of this study was to synthesize findings from prior research about ACP among ethnic minorities. An extensive literature search was conducted using multiple electronic databases. After applying inclusion criteria, 26 studies were included. Four categories of facilitators and barriers to ACP were identified: (1) Socio-demographic factors, (2) health status, literacy and experiences, (3) cultural values, and (4) spirituality. Socio-demographic factors showed inconsistent findings regarding their association with ACP engagement. Worse health status and knowledge about ACP are common facilitators across ethnic minority groups, whereas mistrust toward the health care system was a barrier only for Blacks. Collectivistic cultural values influenced ACP engagement among Latinos and Asian Americans; however, spirituality/religion played an important role among Blacks. The implications for culturally competent approaches to promote ACP and future research directions are discussed.

Planning Ahead: Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict Older Adults’ Intentions to Use Hospice if Faced With Terminal Illness

Hospice is underutilized in the United States, and many patients enroll for short periods of times. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify significant predictors of intentions to use hospice in community-dwelling older adults. The Theory of Planned Behavior informed the selection of predictors. Data were collected from 146 White older adults ( M age = 69.5; 69% females). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that higher hospice knowledge, normative beliefs that support hospice utilization, higher perceived control to use hospice, and preferences for end-of-life care that favor comfort and quality of life over living as long as possible were significant predictors of intentions to use hospice. In spite of being a sample of mostly highly educated older adults, almost half did not know about funding for hospice. These results provide better understanding of where to focus interventions to educate older adults about hospice, ideally in advance of a crisis.