J Palliat Care
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Compliance with and understanding of advance directives among trainee doctors in the United Kingdom.
To investigate doctors' response to and understanding of the legal status of advance directives. ⋯ Advance directives requesting treatment can increase the level of care provided by the physician, however, most trainees chose a level of care different from that in the advance directive. Confusion exists among doctors about the legal status of advance directives, which limits their usefulness. Medical education needs to be improved to train doctors to deal with advance directives.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of quality of life of patients with terminal cancer who received palliative care in home settings. Data were collected from 85 cancer patients with a life expectancy of less than 12 months using the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Hong Kong version (MQOL-HK). The mean total quality of life score was 6.36 +/- 1.37 out of 10. ⋯ There was a significant moderate correlation between age and the mean total quality of life scores (r = 0.53, p < 0.01). In addition, a moderate negative correlation was found between pain intensity and physical subscale (r = -0.57, p < 0.01). In conclusion, patients with terminal cancer receiving palliative home care experienced a moderately high level of quality of life, especially in the sphere of support.