Associations Between End-of-Life Discussions, Patient Mental Health, Medical Care Near Death, and Caregiver Bereavement Adjustment

Abstract

End-of-life discussions offer patients the opportunity to define their goals and expectations for the medical care that they want to receive near death. But these discussions also mean confronting the limitations of medical treatments and the reality that life is finite, both of which may cause psychological distress.¹ Studies suggest that physicians and patients are ambivalent about talking about death and often avoid these conversations.^2-13 To date, however, research has not examined whether these discussions are associated with patients' psychological distress or medical care near death. Without this information physicians cannot weigh the risks and benefits of end-of-life discussions.