Talking about death eases the end of life, study says

Talking about death with patients near the end of life did not heighten their distress, a study of dying cancer patients found, but instead led to greater comfort for the patients and their loved ones.

Researchers led by Dr. Alexi Wright of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report in the Journal of the American Association on interviews with 332 terminally ill cancer patients recruited at seven outpatient clinics. Patients who said they did not have end-of-life conversations got significantly more aggressive care in their final week of life, which was linked to lower quality of life near death. Their caregivers also suffered, feeling regret, poor quality of life, and a higher risk of developing depression.

Patients who said they did have end-of-life discussions were more likely to have a better quality of life in their last days, less likely to get aggressive care, and more likely to receive hospice services. Their loved ones said they felt less regret, and better quality of life ,during their bereavement.

"Our results suggest that end-of-life discussions may have cascading benefits for patients and their caregivers," the authors write.