A risk assessment and distress protocol.

BackgroundPerspectives of key stakeholders should be fully considered to enhance culturally appropriate strategies in end-of-life communication and strengthen healthcare service delivery. So far, little research evidence is available on Chinese patients’, families’, and healthcare professionals’ experiences with and perspectives of end-of-life communication in hospital settings.AimThe current study aims to explore experiences, perceptions and suggestions of end-of-life communication among Chinese terminally ill patients, their families and healthcare providers.MethodsThe phenomenology qualitative approach will be adopted. Semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions will be used to collect relevant data. Eligible terminally ill patients, family caregivers and healthcare providers will be recruited in two hospitals in Mainland China via purposive sampling. Thematic analysis will be performed to analyse data. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist will be followed for reporting. This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05734781).DiscussionThis qualitative study is, as far as we are aware, the first to specifically address patient/family-provider end-of-life communication in the Chinese social-cultural context. The results hold the potential to enrich current knowledge of end-of-life communication, navigate culturally appropriate communication strategies, and inform the development of related training programs for healthcare providers in hospital settings.研究背景 应充分考量关键利益相关方的视角，以优化临终沟通中的文化适配策略，提升医疗服务质量。截至目前，针对中国患者、家属及医护人员在医院场景下的临终沟通体验与认知的相关研究证据仍较为匮乏。 研究目的 本研究旨在探讨中国临终患者、家属及医护人员的临终沟通体验、认知及建议。 研究方法 本研究将采用现象学质性研究方法，通过半结构化深度访谈与焦点小组讨论收集相关数据。采用目的抽样法，在中国大陆两家医院招募符合纳入标准的临终患者、家庭照护者及医护人员。数据将通过主题分析法进行解析，研究报告将遵循《质性研究报告规范》（"Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research, SRQR"）核查清单。本研究已在ClinicalTrials.gov注册（注册号：NCT05734781）。 研究讨论 据我们所知，本质性研究是首个专门针对中国社会文化语境下患者/家属与医护人员临终沟通的研究。研究结果有望丰富现有临终沟通相关知识体系，为文化适配的沟通策略提供参考依据，并为医院场景下医护人员的相关培训项目开发提供指导。