End-of-life Communication From a Chinese Perspective

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University66 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this observational study is to explore experiences and perceptions of end-of-life communication in Chinese terminally ill patients, families and healthcare providers. The main question it aims to answer is: • What are the experiences and perceptions of end-of-life communication in Chinese terminally ill patients, families and healthcare providers? Participants will be invited to either semi-structured in-depth interviews or focus group discussions to share their thoughts.

Objectives: To explore stakeholders' (patients, families and healthcare providers) experiences and perceptions of end-of-life communication in China; and understand culturally appropriate communication strategies. Design and subjects: This study is a qualitative study. Eligible patients, family caregivers and healthcare providers will be recruited in two hospitals. Purposive sampling methods will be adopted. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with patients and family caregivers will be conducted respectively. Focus group discussions will be arranged with healthcare providers, allowing them to discuss end-of-life communication and generate group interactions and creative thinking. Data analysis: The data analysis will be an iterative, cyclic and self-reflective process. Using inductive thematic analysis, common themes and categories will be determined through inductive reasoning and constant comparison. Expected results: The study will fill the gap of no empirical evidence on end-of-life communication strategies from a Chinese perspective and enrich the knowledge about end-of-life communication.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Terminally Ill

Interventions

Not Application as this is a qualitative studyOTHER

Not Application as this is a qualitative study

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: Patients: * Be aged older than 18 years * Have a defined incurable life-limiting illness with a likely life expectancy of fewer than 12 months (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2021), according to the consultation with the patient's physician * Have been informed of disease diagnosis and treatment * Be able to speak Mandarin and express clearly * Be able to provide informed consent Family caregivers: * Be aged older than 18 years * One of the terminally ill patient's primary family caregivers who are familiar with patient's situation, which is defined as lived with or visited patients at least twice a week in the past month * Have been informed of patient's disease diagnosis and treatment * Be able to speak Mandarin * Be able to provide informed consent Healthcare providers: * Be nurses, physicians or other healthcare professionals * Be experienced in providing treatment or care to patients with advanced, life-limiting illnesses (whose likely life expectancies of fewer than 12 months) and family caregivers of such patients for at least five years (Koh et al., 2016) * Consent to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: Patients and family caregivers: * Severe auditory impairment * Cognitive impairment

Locations (1)

Zhejiang Cancer Hospital

Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Qualitative data and participants basic information

Interviews and focus group discussions will be conducted to collect qualitative data

Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 12 months

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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