Supporting terminal cancer patients’ spiritual needs improves quality of life
December 16th, 2009 - 1:30 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Dec 16 (ANI): Support of terminally ill cancer patients’ spiritual needs by the medical team is linked to greater use of hospice, less aggressive care, and greater quality of life near death, according to a new study.
“Recent research has shown that religion and spirituality are major sources of comfort and support for patients confronting advanced disease,” said the study’s senior author, Tracy Balboni, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
“Our findings indicate that patients whose spiritual needs are supported by their medical team, including doctors, nurses and chaplains, have better quality of life near death and receive less aggressive medical care at the end of life,” Balboni added.
The study involved 343 incurable cancer patients at hospital and cancer centers around the country.
Participants were interviewed about their means of coping with their illness, the degree to which their spiritual needs were met by the medical team and their preferences regarding end-of-life treatment.
The researchers then tracked each patient’s course of care during the remainder of his or her life.
They found that patients whose spiritual needs were largely or completely supported by the medical team were likely to transition to hospice care at the end of life.
Additionally, among patients relying on their religious beliefs to cope with their illness, spiritual support reduced their risk of receiving aggressive medical interventions at the end of life.
Support of patients’ spiritual needs by the medical team was also associated with better patient well-being at the end of life, with scores on average being 28 percent higher among those receiving spiritual support.
“Our findings suggest that spiritual care from the medical system has important ramifications for patients at the end of life, including helping them transition to comfort-focused care and improving their well-being near death,” said Balboni.
The study is published by the Journal of Clinical Oncology on its web site and later will be published in a print edition. (ANI)
- Dying at home 'better for cancer patients' - Sep 16, 2010
- UK best place in the world to die: Index - Jul 15, 2010
- Exposure to death and dying can have positive effects - Dec 07, 2010
- For terminally ill, quality of life more important than length of time left - Mar 24, 2011
- Need to focus on palliative care, say experts - Jan 21, 2011
- Device to tell cancer patients how long they will live - Nov 09, 2010
- Women grapple with chemotherapy effects even after treatment ends - Oct 21, 2010
- Yoga, medication helps improve asthma symptoms in urban adolescents - Apr 16, 2011
- Skin cancer's influence on quality of life 'more substantial for women' - Feb 22, 2011
- Telemedicine may now improve geriatric depression - Oct 04, 2010
- New test to better predict breast cancer outcomes discovered - Jan 28, 2011
- Relationships hold key to spiritual care for patients - Jul 24, 2010
- Worrying about breast cancer returning can hit women's quality of life - Mar 28, 2011
- Malaria drug 'may slow pancreatic cancer growth' - Mar 16, 2011
- Religious beliefs cause sick children to suffer - Aug 14, 2012
Tags: aggressive care, balboni, cancer centers, chaplains, dana farber cancer, dana farber cancer institute, farber cancer institute, hospice care, ill cancer patients, incurable cancer, medical interventions, medical system, medical team, ramifications, religion and spirituality, religious beliefs, spiritual care, spiritual needs, spiritual support, terminal cancer patients