Health-Care Provider Planned Responses to Patient Misunderstandings about End-of-Life Care

ABSTRACT

This study examined health-care provider planned responses to patient misunderstandings about end-of-life care using a multiple goals framework. Plan topics and content alignment with task, identity, and relational goal types were coded. Findings suggested that content was predominately task-oriented and concerned implications of treatment options such as choice outcomes and efficacy rates. A substantial percentage of providers planned to refer further discussion about the misunderstanding to another team member or occupational resource. Despite the prompt of patient misunderstanding, little attention was given to literacy and/or avoidance of medical jargon. Implications for these findings are discussed.