Reflections on Hope and Its Implications for End-of-Life Care.
Physicians caring for individuals with life-altering, incurable illnesses often have a desire to convey a sense of hope while also helping their patients prepare for the end of life to minimize unnecessary suffering and grief. Unfortunately, in the United States, most people receive more-aggressive treatments toward the end of life than studies would suggest that they desire. This reflects the challenging task of balancing optimism and realism, and how providing a false sense of hope for a cure for too long a time while avoiding advance care planning may contribute significantly to the problem. This article explores the interplay of hope and advance care planning, and suggests a need for excellent individualized communication in the setting of advanced cancer to improve end-of-life care.
Department of Radiation Oncology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Malcolm D
MD
Mattes
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Michelle A
MA
Sloane
D032722:Advance Care Planning; D001293:Attitude to Death; D065026:Hope; D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013727:Terminal Care; D014342:Truth Disclosure
advance care planning; hope; prognosis