Ruff Heather, Jacobs Robin J, Fernandez M Isabel, Bowen G Stephen, Gerber Hilary
Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA.
Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2011 May;28(3):176-82. doi: 10.1177/1049909110382770. Epub 2010 Sep 11.
Planning for end-of-life (EOL) care can result in better patient outcomes and lowered health care costs. We hypothesized that knowledge and experiences with EOL care would influence patients' EOL planning (i.e., health care decisions, hospice use). Using an observational, cross-sectional design, we recruited a community sample of 331 South Floridians aged 18 to 84 (M = 44 years, SD = 14.95) to complete a questionnaire examining knowledge and opinions on EOL issues. Regression analyses showed that prior knowledge of living wills and hospice services were associated with more favorable attitudes toward hospice care, preference for limited medical interventions at EOL, and more comfort in communicating about death and dying. Patient education on EOL care may increase hospice use, enhance EOL planning, and improve patient outcomes.
临终关怀规划可以带来更好的患者治疗效果并降低医疗成本。我们假设，临终关怀的知识和经历会影响患者的临终关怀规划（即医疗决策、临终关怀服务的使用）。我们采用观察性横断面设计，招募了331名年龄在18至84岁之间的南佛罗里达人作为社区样本（M = 44岁，SD = 14.95），让他们完成一份关于临终关怀问题的知识和看法的调查问卷。回归分析表明，生前预嘱和临终关怀服务的先验知识与对临终关怀护理更积极的态度、对临终时有限医疗干预的偏好以及在谈论死亡和临终问题时更自在相关。对患者进行临终关怀教育可能会增加临终关怀服务的使用、加强临终关怀规划并改善患者治疗效果。
