Hungarians' perspectives on end-of-life care

Death and dying are taboo topics in Hungary. The care of the dying, the adequate relief of their symptoms, and the psychosocial and spiritual support of both patients and their relatives are not yet well addressed. As a preliminary study, we obtained information about the feelings and thoughts of Hungarian patients on death and dying, and about their expectations for end-of-life care.

A questionnaire was mailed to a convenience sample of 29 adult primary care offices where a total of 845 unselected patients completed the questionnaire.

Only 19% of respondents would prefer to die in a hospital; while 69% of respondents would like to receive end of life care in their home. Respondents' greatest fear was to lose their autonomy and be dependent on their caregivers (55%). The second most noted concern was fear of pain and suffering (38%).

The majority of Hungarian patients visiting their primary care physician's office prefer to receive end-of-life care in their own home. This mirrors findings in other European countries. It would appear that hospice and palliative care approaches would be acceptable to the Hungarian public if they were to be broadly developed.