PURPOSE: To assess children's trust in the care provided to a dying parent during the final week of life in relation to end-of-life medical information about disease, treatment, and death. METHODS: This nationwide population-based survey included 622 (73%) of 851 youths who, 6 to 9 years earlier, at age 13 to 16 years, lost a parent to cancer. We asked about the children's reception of end-of-life professional information and trust in the care provided. We also asked about depression and several potential risk factors of distrust in the care provided. RESULTS: A majority (82%) reported moderate/very much trust in the care provided. Compared with children who received end-of-life medical information before their loss, the risk of distrust in the care provided was higher in those who received no information (risk ratio [RR], 2.5; 95% CI, 1.5 to 4.1), in those who only received information afterward (RR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.7 to 5.9), and in those who did not know or remember if end-of-life medical information was provided (RR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.5). Those reporting distrust in the care provided had an RR of 2.3 (95% CI, 1.5 to 3.5) for depression. Furthermore, the risk of distrust in the care provided was higher among children reporting poor efforts to cure (RR, 5.1; 95% CI, 3.6 to 7.3), and/or a poor relationship with the surviving parent (RR, 2.9; 95% CI, 2.0 to 4.1). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that children's trust in the care provided to a dying parent was highest when they received end-of-life medical information before their loss.
PURPOSE: To assess children's trust in the care provided to a dying parent during the final week of life in relation to end-of-life medical information about disease, treatment, and death. METHODS: This nationwide population-based survey included 622 (73%) of 851 youths who, 6 to 9 years earlier, at age 13 to 16 years, lost a parent to cancer. We asked about the children's reception of end-of-life professional information and trust in the care provided. We also asked about depression and several potential risk factors of distrust in the care provided. RESULTS: A majority (82%) reported moderate/very much trust in the care provided. Compared with children who received end-of-life medical information before their loss, the risk of distrust in the care provided was higher in those who received no information (risk ratio [RR], 2.5; 95% CI, 1.5 to 4.1), in those who only received information afterward (RR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.7 to 5.9), and in those who did not know or remember if end-of-life medical information was provided (RR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.5). Those reporting distrust in the care provided had an RR of 2.3 (95% CI, 1.5 to 3.5) for depression. Furthermore, the risk of distrust in the care provided was higher among children reporting poor efforts to cure (RR, 5.1; 95% CI, 3.6 to 7.3), and/or a poor relationship with the surviving parent (RR, 2.9; 95% CI, 2.0 to 4.1). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that children's trust in the care provided to a dying parent was highest when they received end-of-life medical information before their loss.
Authors: Daneng Li; Ghassan K Abou-Alfa; Aaron D Viny; Meredith Cammarata; Ali Shamseddine; Ashwaq Al-Olayan; Hibah Osman; Ali Haydar; Ghassan Kanazi; Mohamed Naghy; Eileen M O'Reilly; Andrew S Epstein Journal: J Gastrointest Oncol Date: 2015-10
Authors: Claire E Hailey; Justin M Yopp; Allison M Deal; Deborah K Mayer; Laura C Hanson; Gili Grunfeld; Donald L Rosenstein; Eliza M Park Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2017-08-07 Impact factor: 3.603