Publicatie

Publication date

Autonomy and information: do patients with advanced cancer receive what they want?

Francke, A.L., Heins, M., Hofstede, J., Rijken, M., Donker, G., Korevaar, J. Autonomy and information: do patients with advanced cancer receive what they want? European Journal of Palliative Care: 2017, p. 347. Abstract. In: Abstractbook 15th World congress of the European associationn for Palliative care: Progressing Palliative Care. 18-20 mei 2017, Madrid.
Read online
Background
About two-thirds of all Dutch patients who die of cancer remain at home at the end of life. In the Netherlands, the GP and home care nurses are key professionals in palliative care.

Aim
To give insight into (a) which specific aspects of autonomy and information patients with advanced cancer find most important, and (b) whether the care they receive matches with these important aspects.

Methods
86 GPs completed a written questionnaire about the care delivered to a total of 96 home-dwelling patients with advanced cancer. In addition, 74 of those 96 patients (most with advanced breast, lung or colon cancer) completed a questionnaire. Furthermore, 26 home care nurses involved in the care for these patients completed a questionnaire.

Results
The table shows the proportion of patients reporting specific aspects of autonomy and information as (not) important and as (not) received.

Conclusions
Almost all patients with advanced cancer indicated that they found all aspects of autonomy and information important. However, substantial proportions reported that they did not receive adequate information about risks and benefits and/or about the expected course of the disease. These aspects of respecting autonomy and providing information concern priorities for improvement of care by GPs and home care nurses.

Funding from
Foundation Stoffels-Hornstra