Open AccessEnd-of-life discussions in practice: survey among Canadian radiation oncologists
Author(s) -
Justin Oh,
Kristopher Dennis,
Shilo Lefresne,
Jonathan Livergant,
Michael McKenzie
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
annals of palliative medicine
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.546
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 2224-5839
pISSN - 2224-5820
DOI - 10.21037/apm.2019.06.01
Subject(s) - medicine , family medicine , survey research , medical education , applied psychology , psychology
Early end-of-life (EOL) discussions improve patient satisfaction, quality of care, and the cost-effectiveness of care. However, some US studies show that radiation oncologists (ROs) are unlikely to discuss EOL issues until the patients develop significant symptoms or the families initiate the discussion. There have been no prior studies describing the patterns of EOL discussions among Canadian ROs. The objectives of this study were: (I) to describe the patterns of EOL discussions among Canadian ROs; (II) to identify the barriers to EOL conversation among Canadian ROs; (III) to assess the attitudes of Canadian ROs toward Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).