TY - JOUR
T1 - Relationship between physicians’ death anxiety and medical communication and decision-making: A systematic review
AU - Draper, Emma J.
AU - Hillen, Marij A.
AU - Moors, Marleen
AU - Ket, Johannes C. F.
AU - van Laarhoven, Hanneke W. M.
AU - Henselmans, Inge
N1 - Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/2
Y1 - 2019/2
N2 - Objective: To examine the relationship between physicians’ death anxiety and medical communication and decision-making. It was hypothesized that physicians’ death anxiety may lead to the avoidance of end-of-life conversations and a preference for life-prolonging treatments. Methods: PubMed and PsycInfo were systematically searched for empirical studies on the relation between physicians’ death anxiety and medical communication and decision-making. Results: This review included five quantitative and two qualitative studies (N = 7). Over 38 relations between death anxiety and communication were investigated, five were in line with and one contradicted our hypothesis. Physicians’ death anxiety seemes to make end-of-life communication more difficult. Over 40 relations between death anxiety and decision-making were investigated, three were in line with and two contradicted the hypothesis. Death anxiety seemes related to physicians’ guilt or doubt after a patient's death. Conclusions: There was insufficient evidence to confirm that death anxiety is related to more avoidant communication or decision-making. However, death anxiety does seem to make end-of-life communication and decision-making more difficult for physicians. Practice implications: Education focused on death and dying and physicians’ emotions in medical practice may improve the perceived ease with which physicians care for patients at the end of life.
AB - Objective: To examine the relationship between physicians’ death anxiety and medical communication and decision-making. It was hypothesized that physicians’ death anxiety may lead to the avoidance of end-of-life conversations and a preference for life-prolonging treatments. Methods: PubMed and PsycInfo were systematically searched for empirical studies on the relation between physicians’ death anxiety and medical communication and decision-making. Results: This review included five quantitative and two qualitative studies (N = 7). Over 38 relations between death anxiety and communication were investigated, five were in line with and one contradicted our hypothesis. Physicians’ death anxiety seemes to make end-of-life communication more difficult. Over 40 relations between death anxiety and decision-making were investigated, three were in line with and two contradicted the hypothesis. Death anxiety seemes related to physicians’ guilt or doubt after a patient's death. Conclusions: There was insufficient evidence to confirm that death anxiety is related to more avoidant communication or decision-making. However, death anxiety does seem to make end-of-life communication and decision-making more difficult for physicians. Practice implications: Education focused on death and dying and physicians’ emotions in medical practice may improve the perceived ease with which physicians care for patients at the end of life.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85054189027&origin=inward
UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30293933
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2018.09.019
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2018.09.019
M3 - Article
C2 - 30293933
SN - 0738-3991
VL - 102
SP - 266
EP - 274
JO - Patient Education and Counseling
JF - Patient Education and Counseling
IS - 2
ER -