Sufficient Death Preparedness Associated With Better Mental Health, End-of-Life Care

Cognitive and emotional preparedness for death is associated with lower psychological distress, better quality of life, less chemotherapy/immunotherapy, and a higher likelihood of hospice care in patients with cancer, according to findings published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.

“Patients can prepare for end of life and their forthcoming death to enhance the quality of dying,” wrote corresponding author Siew Tzuh Tang, DNSc, of the Chang Gung University School of Nursing, Taiwan, and coauthors.

The study evaluated associations between death-preparedness states (no death preparedness, cognitive death preparedness only, emotional death preparedness only, and sufficient death preparedness) with anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and quality of life in 383 patients with cancer.

Compared with patients in the sufficient-death-preparedness state, patients in states of no death preparedness or cognitive death preparedness only reported increased anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as decreased quality of life, the study found. Patients in the emotional death preparedness only state were more likely to receive chemotherapy/immunotherapy (2.38 OR) and less likely to receive hospice care  (.38 OR) than patients in the sufficient-death-preparedness state.

The study found no links between death preparedness states and life-sustaining treatments received in the last month.

“Facilitating accurate prognostic awareness and emotional preparedness for death is justified,” the authors concluded, “when consistent with patient circumstances and preferences.”

Reference:
Wen FH, Chou WC, Chen JS, Chang WC, Hsu MH, Tang ST. Sufficient death preparedness correlates to better mental health, quality of life, and EOL care. J Pain Symptom Manage. Published online February 19, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.02.014