Zusammenfassung
Die Einstellung zur Palliativmedizin zeigt große interindividuelle Schwankungen und ist von vielen persönlichen und gesellschaftlichen Variablen abhängig. Prinzipiell wird empfohlen, dass die Palliativmedizin bereits früh im Krankheitsverlauf von Patienten mit lebensbedrohlichen Erkrankungen einbezogen wird. Allerdings gibt es keine Daten, wie diese Empfehlung in Österreich umgesetzt wird. Wir haben deshalb eine Umfrage unter 785 österreichischen Onkologen durchgeführt und ihnen dabei den Krankheitsverlauf einer Patientin mit primär metastasiertem Mamma-Karzinom von der Diagnosestellung bis zum Tod präsentiert. Die Mehrzahl der Onkologen gab an, bei einem Karnofsky Index (KI) von < 50 palliativmedizinische Einrichtungen und bei einem KI < 40 Hospize in Anspruch zu nehmen. Spezifische Ausbildung in Palliativmedizin war mit einer signifikant früheren Einbeziehung von Hospizen assoziiert. Die "Angst Hoffnung zu zerstören" war der am häufigsten angeführte Grund für eine nicht früher erfolgte Kontaktaufnahme (36% bei Palliativdiensten, 57% bei Hospizdiensten). Die Aufklärung über die Malignität der Erkrankung und die damit einhergehende Einschränkung der Lebenserwartung würden 67% der befragten zum Diagnosezeitpunkt vornehmen. Nur 25% würden zu diesem Zeitpunkt auch über die Möglichkeit der Abfassung einer Patientenverfügung aufklären. Unsere Studie zeigt, dass Onkologen palliativmedizinische Einrichtungen und Hospize in einem fortgeschrittenen Krankheitsstadium involvieren und nicht alle Patientinnen zum Zeitpunkt der Diagnose über Inkurabilität und begrenzte Lebenserwartung aufklären würden.
Summary
Oncologists differ widely in their attitudes towards palliative care and services. These attitudes depend on a number of individual and society-based variables. It is recommended that palliative care be started early in the disease trajectory of patients with a life-threatening disease but in Austria we lack data on oncologists' adherence to this recommendation. We surveyed 785 oncologists in Austria by presenting the clinical course of a hypothetical patient with primary metastatic breast cancer from diagnosis until death. The majority of oncologists would involve palliative care services when the patient's Karnofsky index (KI) was < 50, and hospice services when the KI was < 40. Special training in palliative care was significantly associated with early use of hospice services. Reasons for not involving palliative care and hospice services earlier than indicated were systematically evaluated and included, among others, "fear of destroying the patient's hopes" (36% of respondents with regard to palliative services, 57% with regard to hospices). Overall, 67% of the oncologists would inform the patient about the malignant nature of her disease and the anticipated limitation of her life expectancy at the time of diagnosis. Issuing an advance directive would be discussed by only 25% at that time. Our data show that oncologists involve palliative care services at an advanced stage of disease in patients with primary metastatic cancer and that information about malignancy and the incurable nature of the disease is not uniformly provided at the time of diagnosis.
References
Radbruch L, Nauck F, Fuchs M, Neuwöhner K, Schulenberg D, Lindena G (2002) What is palliative care in Germany? Results from a representative survey. J Pain Symptom Manage 23: 471–483
Johnson CE, Girgis A, Paul CL, Currow DC (2008) Cancer specialists' palliative care referral practices and perceptions: results of a national survey. Palliat Med 22: 51–57
Fowler K, Poehling K, Billheimer D, Hamilton R, Wu H, Mulder J, Frangoul H (2006) Hospice referral practices for children with cancer: a survey of pediatric oncologists. J Clin Oncol 1 (24): 1099–1104
Vejlgaard T, Addington-Hall JM (2005) Attitudes of Danish doctors and nurses to palliative and terminal care. Palliat Med 19: 119–127
NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/palliative.pdf. Accessed 5 Aug 2008
Ferris FD Bruera E, Cherny N, Cummings C, Currow D, Dudgeon D, et al (2009) Palliative cancer care a decade later: accomplishments, the need, next steps. American Society of Clinical Oncology. J Clin Oncol 27: 3052–3058
Gartner V, Watzke H (2006) Palliative treatment. Basic principles and symptom control. Wien Klin Wochenschr 118 (17–18) [Suppl 2]: 123–133
Craft PS, Burns CM, Smith WT, Broom DH (2005) Knowledge of treatment intent among patients with advanced cancer: a longitudinal study. Eur J Cancer Care 14: 417–425
Weeks JC, Cook EF, O'Day SJ, Peterson LM, Wenger N, Reding D, et al (1998) Relationship between cancer patients' predictions of prognosis and their treatment preferences. JAMA 279: 1709–1714
Gattellari M, Voigt KJ, Butow PN, Tattersall MH (2002) When the treatment goal is not the cure: are cancer patients equipped to make informed decisions? J Clin Oncol 20: 503–513
Jenkins V, Fallowfield L, Saul J (2001) Information needs of patients with cancer: results from a large study in UK cancer centres. Br J Cancer 84: 48–51
Stewart DE, Wong F, Cheung AM, Dancey J, Meana M, Cameron JI, et al (2000) Information needs and decisional preferences among women with ovarian cancer. Gynecol Oncol 77: 357–361
Kirk P, Kirk I, Kristjanson LJ (2004) What do patients receiving palliative care for cancer and their families want to be told? A Canadian and Australian qualitative study. BMJ 328: 1343–1347
Koedoot CG, Oort FJ, de Haan RJ, Bakker PJ, de Graeff A, de Haes JC (2004) The content and amount of information given by medical oncologists when telling patients with advanced cancer what their treatment options are: palliative chemotherapy and watchful waiting. Eur J Cancer 40: 225–235
Mackillop WJ, Stewart WE, Ginsburg AD, Stewart SS (1988) Cancer patients' perceptions of their disease and its treatment. Br J Cancer 58: 355–358
Chow E, Andersson L, Wong R, Vachon M, Hruby G, Franssen E, et al (2001) Patients with advanced cancer: a survey of the understanding of their illness and expectations from palliative radiotherapy for symptomatic metastases. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 13: 204–208
Tobias JS, Souhami RL (1993) Fully informed consent can be needlessly cruel. BMJ 307: 1199–1201
Fallowfield L (2001) Participation of patients in decisions about treatment for cancer. BMJ 323: 1144
Mack JW, Wolfe J, Cook EF, Grier HE, Cleary PD, Weeks JC (2007) Hope and prognostic disclosure. J Clin Oncol 25: 5636–5642
Kierner KA, Hladschik-Kermer B, Gartner V, Watzke HH (2009) Attitudes of patients with malignancies towards completion of advance directives. Support Care Cancer (Epub ahead of print)
Becker G, Momm F, Gigl A, Wagner B, Baumgartner J (2007) Competency and educational needs in palliative care. Wien Klin Wochenschr 119: 112–116
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kierner, K., Gartner, V., Bartsch, R. et al. Attitudes towards palliative care in primary metastatic cancer: a survey among oncologists. Wien Klin Wochenschr 122, 45–49 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-009-1295-3
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-009-1295-3