ArticleBMJ open2022
Expectations, end-of-life fears and end-of-life communication among palliative patients with cancer and caregivers: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Family Caregivers' Understanding, Expectations, and Emotional Responses During Transition to a Palliative Care Unit: A Qualitative Study.Nursing open · 2026Article
- Caregiving needs of patients with terminal cancer and their families: a field study of family meetings.BMC palliative care · 2026Article
- Confidential Conversations in Palliative Care: An Ethnographic Exploration of Trust and Interpersonal Relationship Between Nurse and Patient.Journal of clinical nursing · 2026Article
- Identifying the factors contributing to hospital readmissions in palliative care: a mixed-methods study from a Turkish palliative care unit.BMC palliative care · 2025Article
- Moral distress among family caregivers of people with cancer in palliative care: A qualitative study.Canadian oncology nursing journal = Revue canadienne de nursing oncologique · 2025Article
- Aesthetic experiences of patients with advanced cancer in end-of-life care in China: A phenomenological study.Belitung nursing journal · 2025Article
- Older Danes' Preferences for Their Final Days: A Survey of 1499 Participants.Palliative medicine reports · 2025Article
- Open communication between patients and relatives about illness & death in advanced cancer-results of the eQuiPe Study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Article
- Life beyond Loss: A Retrospective Analysis of the Impact of Meaning of Life Therapy on the Grieving Process of Cancer Patients' Family Caregivers.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Survival Prediction Model for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Extrahepatic Metastasis Based on XGBoost Algorithm.Journal of hepatocellular carcinoma · 2023Article
- Better than expected? Predictors of coping with expectation violations in the communication about death and dying.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesDuring serious illness, open communication with caregivers can ensure high-quality care. Without end-of-life communication, caregivers may become surrogates and decision-makers without knowing the patient's preferences. However, expectations and fears may influence the initiation of communication. The present study investigates differences between palliative patients with cancer and caregivers regarding expectations of end-of-life communication, end-of-life fears and experiences with end-of-life communication.
designA cross-sectional study using a semi-structured interview and a paper-based questionnaire
settingUniversity Hospital in Germany.
participants151 participants: 85 palliative cancer patients (mean age: 62.8 years, 65.9% male) and 66 caregivers (mean age: 56.3 years, 28.8% male). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Expectations, end-of-life fears and experiences of end-of-life discussions.
resultsPatients and caregivers wish for the patient to be self-determined. In general, participants reported more positive than negative expectations of end-of-life discussions. Importantly, concerns about emotionally burdening other person was rated much higher in an informal context than a professional context (F(1,149)=316 958, p<0.001, η
conclusionsThere seems to exist a 'self-other' asymmetry: palliative patients and their caregivers expect substantial personal relief when openly talking about end-of-life issues, but also expect the other person to be burdened by such communication. Professionals repeatedly need to initiate end-of-life communication.
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