Perception of oncology patients on the terminality of life

Abstract With the aim of analysing the perception of cancer patients towards the end of life, a questionnaire was applied to 100 oncologic patients, of which 85% were unaware of living will/advance directives, 81% were unaware of the terms palliative care and 70% were unaware of order to not reanimate. After clarifying the meaning of the terms used, 62% agreed to make living will/advance directives, 82% to receive palliative care at home and 64% to be reanimated in any situation, but the majority (73%) disagreed with the practice of futility. Only 11% reported inadequacies in the communication of their diagnosis by the physician. The fact of having metastases elicited a broader reflection on the termination of life. The results allow to infer that it is necessary to encourage the discussion about termination of life to the population during patient care, as well to promote the respective training to health professionals since the undergraduate course.

【摘要】为分析癌症患者对生命末期的认知态度，本研究向100名肿瘤患者发放了调查问卷。结果显示，85%的患者对生前预嘱（living will/advance directives）全然不知，81%的患者不了解舒缓疗护（palliative care）的概念，另有70%的患者不清楚不复苏医嘱（order to not reanimate）。在明确相关术语的含义后，62%的患者同意签署生前预嘱，82%的患者愿意接受居家舒缓疗护，64%的患者表示愿意在任何情境下接受复苏救治，但绝大多数（73%）的患者反对无效医疗实践。仅有11%的患者反馈医师在告知其诊断结果时存在沟通不到位的情况。存在远处转移（metastases）的患者会对生命终止议题展开更为广泛的思考。本研究结果表明，在患者诊疗过程中，有必要面向大众开展生命终止相关话题的讨论，同时应从本科教育阶段起，为医疗卫生专业人员提供相应的主题培训。