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Palliative Medicine
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Article

Illness awareness in terminal cancer patients: an Italian study

O Corli1*, G Apolone1, M Pizzuto2, L Cesaris2, A Cozzolino2, L Orsi3, and L Enterri3

1 C.E.R.P. (Center for the Evaluation and Research on Pain), Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milano
2 Palliative Care Unit, Istituti Clinici di Perfezionamento, Milano
3 Palliative Care Unit, Ospedale Maggiore, Crema

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.


  Abstract

The amount and quality of information and awareness in cancer patients' is a topic frequently debated, but few studies have focussed on terminal patients. This is the objective of the present study that involved two different palliative home-care units in Italy, which recruited 550 terminal cancer patients. Data from patients and their caregivers was prospectively collected with special attention to information patients were provided with when their cancer was diagnosed and patients' awareness of their current health condition. In the case of the information, 67.0% of patients reported they were previously informed about their diagnosis, but only 58.0% seemed to be aware of their terminal condition. The comparison between the caregivers opinions about the level of information provided to the patients and their present awareness and what the patients really know about their own disease shows a high degree of correspondence. Some variables such as age and education level of patients were associated with patient's awareness.

Key Words: diagnosis, illness awareness, information, prognosis, terminal cancer

First published on December 10, 2008, doi:10.1177/0269216308100772

Palliative Medicine 2009;23:354.

A more recent version of this article appeared on June 1, 2009

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