title: Preferences for death and dying among veterans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies identify common factors important for a "good death." However, it is important for clinicians to individualize end-of-life care by eliciting patients' preferences. We sought to determine preferences for death and dying among veterans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by performing a cross-sectional study. Participants (n = 376) completed a preferences about death and dying questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Common themes ranked as most important by veterans include health care costs (86.6%) and avoiding strain on loved ones (78.8%). Unique items include being unafraid of dying (67.1%) and having discussed your treatment preferences with your clinician (59.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preferences for death and dying are consistent among individuals with life-limiting illness, thus should be incorporated as core components in all end-of-life care planning. We identified unique preferences important to patients with COPD. This study suggests that clinicians need to engage in end-of-life discussions to learn about individual preferences to improve the patients' dying experience.
authors.affiliation: 1VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Health Services R&D Seattle, WA USA.
authors.forename: Lynn F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Reinke
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Uman
authors.forename: Edmunds M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Udris
authors.forename: Brianna R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Moss
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Au
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003643:Death; D006801:Humans; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000628:therapy; D013727:Terminal Care; D014728:Veterans
keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; death and dying; end-of-life communication; patient preferences