title: Nationwide Japanese Survey About Deathbed Visions: "My Deceased Mother Took Me to Heaven".
abstract: Primary aim was to clarify the prevalence and factors associated with the occurrence of deathbed visions, explore associations among deathbed visions, a good death, and family depression. Additional aim was to explore the emotional reaction, perception, and preferred clinical practice regarding deathbed visions from the view of bereaved family members.
  
  
  
  A nationwide questionnaire survey was conducted involving 3964 family members of cancer patients who died at hospitals, palliative care units, and home.
  
  
  
  A total of 2827 responses (71%) were obtained, and finally 2221 responses were analyzed. Deathbed visions were reported in 21% (95% CIs, 19-23; n = 463). Deathbed visions were significantly more likely to be observed in older patients, female patients, female family members, family members other than spouses, more religious families, and families who believed that the soul survives the body after death. Good death scores for the patients were not significantly different between the families who reported that the patients had experienced deathbed visions and those who did not, whereas depression was more frequently observed in the former than latter, with marginal significance (20 vs. 16%, respectively, adjusted P = 0.068). Although 35% of the respondents agreed that deathbed visions were hallucinations, 38% agreed that such visions were a natural and transpersonal phenomenon in the dying process; 81% regarded it as necessary or very necessary for clinicians to share the phenomenon neutrally, not automatically labeling them as medically abnormal.
  
  
  
  Deathbed vision is not an uncommon phenomenon. Clinicians should not automatically regard such visions as an abnormal phenomenon to be medically treated and rather provide an individualized approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative and Supportive Care, Palliative Care Team, Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. Electronic address: tmorita@sis.seirei.or.jp.
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.affiliation: Palliative Care Team, Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Akemi Shirado
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Nursing, Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
authors.forename: Maho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aoyama
authors.affiliation: Psycho-Oncology Division, Research Center for Innovative Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Asao
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: Soshukai Research Institute, Natori, Miyagi, Japan.
authors.forename: Izuru
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Aizawa
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, Shimane University, Matsue, Shimane, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryosuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morooka
authors.affiliation: Soshukai Okabe Clinic, Natori-shi, Miyagi, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawahara
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kizawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Medicine, Tsukuba Medical Center Foundation, Home Care Service, Tsukuba Medical Center Hospital, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shima
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Medicine, Palliative Care Center, Kyoto University Hospital, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuneto
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Nursing, Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsunori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyashita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001601:Bereavement; D003643:Death; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D012067:Religion; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care
keywords: End-of-life; deathbed vision; delirium; experience; family