Terminally Ill Cancer Patients' Emotional Preparedness for Death Is Distinct From Their Accurate Prognostic Awareness

Abstract

ContextEmotional preparedness for death (hereafter called death preparedness) and prognostic awareness (PA), a distinct but related concept, each contributes to patients' practical, psychological, and interpersonal preparations for death. However, the distinction between these two concepts has never been investigated. ObjectivesTo evaluate the distinction between death preparedness and accurate PA by examining their agreement during cancer patients' last year and the similarity of their predictors. MethodsFor this secondary analysis of a longitudinal study of death preparedness for 277 patients with cancer, agreement between death preparedness and accurate PA was evaluated by percentages and kappa coefficients, and predictors of the two outcomes were evaluated by multivariate logistic regression models with the generalized estimating equation. ResultsLevels of agreement between reported death preparedness and accurate PA increased slightly (42.44%–52.85%) from 181–365 days to one to 30 days before death, with kappa values from −0.190 (−0.319, −0.061) to −0.006 (−0.106, 0.093), indicating poor agreement. Participants who were male, older, reported financial sufficiency, had fewer distressing symptoms, and perceived higher levels of social support were more likely to report death preparedness. Participants who were female, had greater than high-school educational attainment, and endured higher levels of functional dependence were more likely to report accurate PA. ConclusionThe distinction between death preparedness and accurate PA was supported by their poor agreement, lack of reciprocal associations, and two different sets of predictors. Health care professionals should not only cultivate cancer patients' accurate PA but also facilitate emotional preparation for death to achieve a good death and improve end-of-life care quality.