Cancer Caregivers Advocate a Patient- and Family-Centered Approach to Advance Care Planning

Abstract

CONTEXT: Cancer caregivers have important roles in delivering practical, emotional, and end-of-life support to patients; however, they express multiple unmet needs, particularly information on future care planning. Early regular communication and decision making may improve access to timely information, alleviate anxiety, reduce uncertainty, and improve coping strategies. OBJECTIVES: This study examines how cancer caregivers view advance care planning (ACP) to inform an ACP program in an Australian cancer center. METHODS: This study used a qualitative descriptive design with grounded theory overtones. Eighteen caregivers of patients from lung and gastrointestinal tumor streams participated i..