Are cancer patients living alone more or less likely to achieve a good death? Two cross‐sectional surveys of bereaved families

ABSTRACT This study examined differences in sociodemographic characteristics and the achievement of a good death between cancer patients who live alone and those who do not live alone prior to death in different settings. Secondary analysis of data collected across two cross‐sectional self‐reported...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of advanced nursing 2021-09, Vol.77 (9), p.3745-3758
Main Authors: Igarashi, Naoko, Aoyama, Maho, Masukawa, Kento, Morita, Tatsuya, Kizawa, Yoshiyuki, Tsuneto, Satoru, Shima, Yasuo, Miyashita, Mitsunori
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bereavement
Cancer
Cross-sectional studies
Death & dying
end of life
good death
Home health care
Hospitals
Living alone
Nursing
Palliative care
Place of death
Polls & surveys
Relatives
Sociodemographics
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Summary:ABSTRACT This study examined differences in sociodemographic characteristics and the achievement of a good death between cancer patients who live alone and those who do not live alone prior to death in different settings. Secondary analysis of data collected across two cross‐sectional self‐reported questionnaire surveys was undertaken. The participants were bereaved family members of cancer patients who had died in palliative care units (PCUs), acute hospitals or homes. We stratified the data by the place of death and examined the differences in sociodemographic characteristics to determine the relationship between cancer patients achieving a “good death” and whether they were living alone. The data were collected through 15,949 surveys. On the Good Death Inventory, significantly higher total scores emerged for cancer patients who were living alone than for those who not living alone in PCUs (effect size [ES] = 0.11, Student's t‐test: p 
ISSN:0309-2402
1365-2648
DOI:10.1111/jan.14886