• Koen Pardon, Reginald Deschepper, Robert Vander Stichele, Jan Bernheim, Freddy Mortier, Denis Schallier, Paul Germonpré, Daniella Galdermans, Willem Van Kerckhoven, and Luc Deliens.
• End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. koen.pardon@vub.ac.be
• Palliat Med. 2011 Jan 1; 25 (1): 62-70.

AbstractWe examined the degree to which newly diagnosed patients with advanced lung cancer wanted to be informed and involved in medical decision-making, and whether the patients felt their preferences were met. Patients from 13 hospitals in Flanders were interviewed with a standard questionnaire. A total of 128 patients (68%) participated. Of the patients who wanted to be informed about life expectancy, half (53%) reported they were informed, and of those who wanted to be informed about palliative care and end-of-life decisions, 25% and 31% said they were informed, respectively. With regard to participation in medical decision-making (in general, about treatment, transfer or end-of-life), patients who preferred the doctor to make decisions or those who preferred to make the decision themselves often achieved this (in their perception), while patients who wanted an in-between position with some involvement, often did not. To conclude, preferences of patients with lung cancer for information concerning delicate topics and for shared decision-making with the physician were not well met.

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