Recommendations for hospice care to terminally ill cancer patients: a phenomenological study of oncologists' experiences.
The aim of this exploratory study was to better understand oncologists' experiences and their perceptions of hospice care as an end-of-life treatment choice for terminally ill cancer patients. To describe this experience, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted using phenomenological methods with nine oncologists. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) feelings of discomfort and relief, (b) being different from others, (c) experience with nonhospice patients, and (d) factors influencing the decision to recommend hospice. Future research and a flexible interdisciplinary practice model are suggested to better assist with end-of-life care decision making and recommendations for hospice care with oncologists and their terminally ill cancer patients are presented.
a Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service , New York , New York , USA.
Suzanne
S
Marmo
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019452:Terminally Ill
hospice; oncology social work; phenomenology; physician decision making; qualitative; terminal illness