Abstract
Life expectancy is important to inform a number of clinical decisions in primary care but its communication is challenging for clinicians. This qualitative interview study with 40 community-dwelling older adults explored their perspectives on how and when to discuss life expectancy in primary care. Most participants did not want to discuss life expectancy longer than 1 year but were open to being offered discussion by clinicians. Suggestions included using health decline as trigger for discussion and discussing with family members instead of patient. Although older adults have varied preferences for the timing and content of life expectancy discussions in primary care, it was generally acceptable for clinicians to offer the opportunity for this type of discussion.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
