Impact of Awareness of Terminal Illness and Use of Palliative Care or Intensive Care Unit on the Survival of Terminally Ill Patients With Cancer: Prospective Cohort Study
- Author(s)
- Young Ho Yun; Myung Kyung Lee; Seon Young Kim; Woo Jin Lee; Kyung Hae Jung; Young Rok Do; Samyong Kim; Dae Seog Heo; Jong Soo Choi; Sang Yoon Park; Hyun Sik Jeong; Jung Hun Kang; Si-Young Kim; Jungsil Ro; Jung Lim Lee; Sook Ryun Park; Sohee Park
- Keimyung Author(s)
- Do, Young Rok
- Department
- Dept. of Internal Medicine (내과학)
- Journal Title
- Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Issued Date
- 2011
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 18
- Abstract
- Purpose.
We conducted this study to evaluate the validity of the perception that awareness of their terminal
prognosis and use of palliative care or nonuse of an intensive care unit (ICU) causes patients to die
sooner than they would otherwise.
Patients and Methods.
In this prospective cohort study at 11 university hospitals and the National Cancer Center in Korea,
we administered questionnaires to 619 consecutive patients immediately after they were
determined by physicians to be terminally ill. We followed patients during 6 months after
enrollment and assessed how their survival was affected by the disclosure of terminal illness and
administration of palliative care or nonuse of the ICU.
Results.
In a follow-up of 481 patients and 163.8 person-years, we identified 466 deceased patients.
Nineteen percent of the patients died within 1 month, while 41.3% lived for 3 months, and 17.7%
lived for 6 months. Once the cancer was judged terminal, the median survival time was 69 days.
On multivariate analysis, neither patient awareness of terminal status at baseline (adjusted hazard
ratio [aHR], 1.20; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.51), use of a palliative care facility (aHR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.76 to
1.21), nor general prostration (aHR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.57) was associated with reduced
survival. Use of the ICU (aHR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.06 to 2.05) and poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology
Group performance status (aHR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.71) were significantly associated with
poor survival.
Conclusion.
Patients’ being aware that they are dying and entering a palliative care facility or ICU does not
seem to influence patients’ survival.
- 공개 및 라이선스
-
- 파일 목록
-
Items in Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.