%0 Journal Article
%T An early palliative care intervention can be confronting but reassuring: A qualitative study on the experiences of patients with advanced cancer
%A Christa Lohrmann
%A Jos MGA Schols
%A Marie Bakitas
%A Monica Fliedner
%A Ruud JG Halfens
%A Sofia Zambrano
%A Steffen Eychm¨¹ller
%J Palliative Medicine
%@ 1477-030X
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0269216319847884
%X Intervention trials confirm that patients with advanced cancer receiving early palliative care experience a better quality of life and show improved knowledge about and use of palliative care services. To involve patients in future health-care decisions, health professionals should understand patients¡¯ perspectives. However, little is known about how patients¡¯ experience such interventions. To explore advanced cancer patients¡¯ experiences with a structured early palliative care intervention, its acceptability and impact on the patients¡¯ life including influencing factors. Qualitative content analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Patients with various advanced cancer diagnoses were enrolled in a multicenter randomized controlled trial (NCT01983956), which investigated the impact of ¡°Symptoms, End-of-life decisions, Network, Support,¡± a structured early palliative care intervention, on distress. Of these, 20 patients who underwent the intervention participated in this study. Participants received the intervention well and gained a better understanding of their personal situation. Patients reported that the intervention can feel ¡°confronting¡± but with the right timing it can be confirming and facilitate family conversations. Patients¡¯ personal background and the intervention timing within their personal disease trajectory influenced their emotional and cognitive experiences; it also impacted their understanding of palliative care and triggered actions toward future care planning. Early palliative care interventions like ¡°Symptoms, End-of-life decisions, Network, Support¡± may provoke emotions and feel ¡°confrontational¡± often because this is the first time when issues about one¡¯s end of life are openly discussed; yet, advanced cancer patients found it beneficial and felt it should be incorporated into routine care
%K (Early) palliative care
%K neoplasms
%K qualitative research
%K advance care planning
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269216319847884