Terminally ill
patients may be better off discussing death with their doctors. A study
of 322 terminally ill cancer patients finds those who had discussions with
their doctors about their impending deaths received less aggressive medical
care and had a better quality of life in their remaining days. Discussing
their deaths with their doctors did not cause patients to be more
psychologically distressed. It did result in lower rates of resuscitation
and intensive care visits. Patients who talked with their doctors about
their deaths entered hospice sooner and had a better overall quality of life.
