Completion rate of physician orders for life-sustaining treatment for patients with metastatic or recurrent cancer: A preliminary, cross-sectional study

Ju Won Kim, Jung Yoon Choi, Won Jin Jang, Yoon Ji Choi, Youn Seon Choi, Sang Won Shin, Yeul Hong Kim, Kyong Hwa Park

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    13 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Background: "End of life" is a difficult topic of conversation in East Asian cultures, even among patients and doctors who share a good rapport. In 2016, the Hospice, Palliative Care, and Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision-Making Act, which took the form of "Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment," was introduced in South Korea. This study was conducted to investigate the completion rate of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment in patients with advanced cancer on the active recommendation of physicians, as well as patients' general attitudes toward end-of-life care. Methods: We conducted a preliminary, cross-sectional descriptive survey on patients with advanced cancer. A total of 101 patients with advanced solid cancer agreed to participate in the study. The primary endpoint was the rate of completion of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment based on a doctor's suggestion. Written interviews were conducted to understand the perceptions and factors influencing patients' decisions. Results: Of the 101 patients, 72 (71.3%) agreed to prepare Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment. Patients who had an educational level of high school or higher were more likely to agree to complete Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment documentation as compared to the lower educational status group. More than half of the respondents who completed Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment documentation reported that they had more than a fair understanding of "life-sustaining care" or "Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment." Participants' reasons for Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment completion were diverse. Conclusions: We found that highly educated patients, who understood the concept behind the policy well, tended to accept Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment without hesitation. Better education, information shared through the media, and conversations with health care providers might improve understanding of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment in patients with cancer.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number84
    JournalBMC Palliative Care
    Volume18
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2019 Oct 22

    Bibliographical note

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2019 The Author(s).

    Keywords

    • Advance directives
    • End-of-life care
    • Physician orders for life-sustaining treatment

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Medicine

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