The Effects of Adding Reassurance Statements: Cancer Patients' Preferences for Phrases in End-of-Life Discussions

Context When discussing end-of-life issues with cancer patients, the addition of reassurance statements is considered helpful. However, patients' preferences for such statements have not been systematically demonstrated. Objectives The objectives of this study were to clarify if phrases with additional reassurance statements would be more preferable to phrases without them and explore variables associated with patients' preferences. Methods In a cross-sectional survey, 412 cancer patients assessed their own preferences for phrases with/without additional statements using a six-point scale (1 = not at all preferable; 6 = very preferable). These included the statements of “hope for the best and prepare for the worst” (“hope/prepare”) when discussing prognosis; symptom palliation when discussing code status; and specific goals, continuity of care, and nonabandonment when discussing hospice referral. We evaluated demographic data and the coping style and conducted multivariate regression analysis. Results Compared with the phrase of life expectancy (i.e., median + typical range) alone [mean (SD), 3.5 (1.2); 95% CI, 3.4–3.6], the phrase with the additional “hope/prepare” statement was more preferable [3.8 (1.4); 3.7–3.9]. Compared with the phrase of do-not-resuscitate alone (3.1(1.3); 3.0–3.3), the phrase with the additional statement of symptom palliation was more preferable [3.9 (1.3); 3.7–4.0]. Compared with the phrase of hospice referral alone [3.4 (1.2); 3.3–3.5], phrases with the addition of a specific goal [3.9 (1.0); 3.8–4.0], specific goal and continuity (4.4(1.0); 4.3–4.5), and specific goal, continuity, and nonabandonment [4.8 (1.2); 4.7–4.9] were more preferable. In multivariate analyses, task-oriented coping was significantly correlated with preferences for phrases including additional reassurance statements. Conclusion Cancer patients systematically preferred reassurance statements. In end-of-life discussions, especially with patients with task-oriented coping, clinicians may provide additional reassurance statements.