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Palliative Medicine
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What's this?

Truth telling with dying cancer patients

Mary LM Gilhooly

Lecturer, Behavioural Sciences Group, Glasgow University

John S Berkeley

Medical Director, Roxburghe House, Grampian Health Board

Kathy McCann

Senior Scientific Officer, Department of Community Medicine, Hampstead Health Authority

Felicity Gibling

Research Fellow, Psychology Department, University of Aberdeen

Keith Murray

Department of Community Medicine, Glasgow University

Awareness of condition and frequency of discussion of diagnosis were examined in two studies on place of care for terminally ill cancer patients. Approximately one-third of the patients died without having discussed their diagnosis with their general practitioners. Age, perceived social class and type of cancerwere found to be associated with patients' awareness and discussions with GPs. Interestingly, place of death was not associated with awareness; patients dying in hospices were not significantly more likely to be aware or to have discussed the diagnosis with their GPs. Lack of awareness of diagnosis was reported as affecting decision making about place of care and, to a certain extent, to carers' emotional response. The main reason given for not discussing the diagnosis with the patient was relatives' wishes.

Key Words: communication • communication barriers • confidentiality • ethics • neoplasms • patients.

Palliative Medicine, Vol. 2, No. 1, 64-71 (1988)
DOI: 10.1177/026921638800200111
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