Quality end-of-life care: patients' perspectives

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Patient-Centered Medicine
• Qualitative Health Research

Background:

• Quality end-of-life care is an ethical imperative for healthcare providers.
• Patient perspectives on quality end-of-life care have been underexplored.
• Understanding patient needs is vital for ethical healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and describe key elements of quality end-of-life care from the patient's viewpoint.
• To provide a patient-centered framework for end-of-life care.
• To inform healthcare practices and policies regarding end-of-life care.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing in-depth, open-ended interviews.
• Content analysis of participant interviews.
• Involved 126 participants across three distinct patient groups: dialysis, HIV, and long-term care residents.

Main Results:

• Five core domains of quality end-of-life care emerged from patient perspectives.
• These domains include: adequate pain and symptom management.
• Other key domains are: avoiding inappropriate prolongation of dying, achieving a sense of control, relieving burden, and strengthening relationships with loved ones.

Conclusions:

• The identified domains offer a patient-centered perspective to enhance end-of-life care quality.
• These findings can guide the development of targeted interventions and care strategies.
• Focusing on these patient-defined elements is essential for ethical and effective end-of-life care.