Patients diagnosed with cancer want their physicians to ask them where they prefer to receive end-of-life care, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Researchers asked adults with a confirmed cancer diagnosis between September 2015 and January 2016 to participate in a cross-sectional survey. The survey asked patients questions regarding their desired location of care, perceived benefits and worries, discussion of preferences with others, willingness to discuss preferences and dying in their location of choice. The researchers received 203 completed surveys.
Here are four things to know about the study.
1. Of the 203 surveyed, 47 percent of patients wished to die in their home or the home of a relative, 34 percent preferred to receive end-of-life care in a hospice or palliative care unit and 19 percent wished to die in a hospital.
2. Although 93 percent of patients wanted to die in their preferred location, only seven percent of patients discussed it with their physicians. Forty-one percent discussed their preferences with their family or support persons.
3. When choosing the location of their death, patients considered family, support persons and access to expert medical care.
4. "Given the overall variation in preferred location of EOL care among patients, healthcare providers should take a systematic approach to eliciting patient preferences," the authors concluded. "This can help ensure that reasons for patients' choices are expressed and understood, and that patients have the appropriate support to achieve their preferences."