Illness awareness of patients in hospice: psychological evaluation and perception of family members and medical staff.
BACKGROUND
Despite the widespread belief that patients should be given full information about their disease and prognosis, they actually they know very little. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the awareness of 100 patients (from the Hospices of Rimini and Savignano-Rubicone) about their diagnoses and prognoses. It is also investigated staff and relatives perceptions of patients' awareness.


METHODS
A semistructured interview of patients was performed by psychologists to evaluate their awareness about diagnosis and prognosis. Then psychologists completed a questionnaire about their own evaluation of patients' disease awareness. Moreover, the same questionnaire was completed by family members and by staff members (doctors and nurses) about their perceptions of patients' awareness. Doctors and nurses gave their answers based on their routine interactions with patients.


RESULTS
Despite the fact that patients in hospice were in the terminal phase of disease, 30% of patients had no diagnosis awareness, and an even higher percentage of patients (62%) who had no prognosis awareness.
Andruccioli
Jessica
J
Infermi Hospital, Rimini, Italy. jandruccioli@auslrn.net
Montesi
Alessandra
A
Raffaeli
William
W
Monterubbianesi
Maria C
MC
Turci
Paola
P
Pittureri
Cristina
C
Sarti
Donatella
D
Vignali
Alberto P
AP
Rossi
Andrea P
AP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001364:Awareness; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006738:Hospices; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008503:Medical Staff / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires