Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026

Involving Individuals with Developmental Language Disorder and Their Parents/Carers in Research Priority Setting
Published on: June 6, 2020
Preferences of patients with Parkinson's disease for communication about advanced care planning
Keiran K Tuck1, Lissa Brod2, John Nutt2
1Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA tuck@ohsu.edu.
Background:
Despite shortening life, Parkinson's disease (PD) is often not considered "terminal." Uncertainty exists about when to discuss end-of-life planning.
Methods:
A survey was sent to patients with PD assessing attitudes toward the timing and initiation of discussions regarding their disease. Data were analyzed for patient preferences regarding communication.
Results:
Of 585 surveys, 267 were returned. Ninety-four percent of patients wanted prognosis and treatment information early. Half of the patients wanted to discuss advanced care documents early. Some wanted early discussions about end-of-life care planning (27%) or end-of-life care options such as hospice (21%). The majority felt shared responsibility for initiating discussions about life expectancy, advance care documents, and end-of-life care planning.
Conclusions:
Preferences regarding end-of-life discussions vary. Consequently, neurologists should ask patients about their preferences for this information and offer discussion periodically.
Related Concept Videos
Planning Nursing Care I
Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
Standards of Care II
Parkinson's Disease: Treatment
Parkinson's Disease is primarily a result of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The cornerstone of its...
Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's cancer...
Role of Communication in the Nursing Process II: Planning and Implementation

