The American journal of hospice & palliative care
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Mar 2006
Who's caring for whom? Differing perspectives between seriously ill patients and their family caregivers.
Although clinicians and researchers often rely on family members 'reports of a wide range of dying patients' symptoms and care preferences, available data indicate divergences between the two. We used a national sample to analyze patient-caregiver pairs to explore areas of concordance and nonconcordance about physical symptoms, communication with physicians, caregiving needs, and future fears. We also assessed whether identifiable patient or caregiver characteristics were associated with nonconcordance. ⋯ When responses differed, patients were more likely to express concern about domains that might impose on caregivers, while caregivers were more likely to express concern about patients 'physical suffering. Consistent sociodemographic or clinical predictors of nonconcordant responses were not found. These data suggest important ways that patient and caregiver reports of the same experience vary.