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Fausto Loberiza, M.D. |
Advance care plans provide patients with the opportunity to communicate with their family and health care provider about their end-of-life choices.
Researchers from the UNMC and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle conducted the study on 293 patients with blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. Researchers compared the psychological well-being of patients who had advanced-care plans with those who didn’t.
Patients who have advanced care plan use more problem-focused coping patterns versus emotion-focused coping patterns, said Fausto Loberiza Jr., M.D., lead author and associate professor in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine section of hematology/oncology.
Problem-focused coping means a person works to alter the source of stress. Problem-focused coping techniques include:
- Taking advice;
- Discussing feelings with others;
- Planning; and
- Having a positive outlook.
Emotion-focused coping techniques include:
- Denial;
- Behavioral or mental disengagement;
- Turning to religion;
- Self-blame; and
- Substance abuse.
The goal of the study is to help understand how best to design interventions that may increase the number of patients with advance care plans. The study was presented Dec. 6 by Dr. Loberiza during the annual meeting of American Society of Hematology. His was one of 20 studies to be highlighted to the media.
While advance care planning may be more relevant for someone who has a life-threatening disease, Dr. Loberiza said it’s important that all people engage in the process.
“In order to increase engagement in advance care planning, it is important to focus on the practical importance regardless of prognosis and de-emphasize the emotional aspects,” Dr. Loberiza said. “This approach may be more appealing to our patients regardless of coping style.”