The Influence of Race on End-of-Life Choices Following a Counselor-Based Palliative Consultation

Black Americans are more likely than whites to choose aggressive medical care at the end of life. We present a retrospective cohort study of 2843 patients who received a counselor-based palliative care consultation at a large US southeastern hospital. Before the palliative consultation, 72.8% of the...

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Veröffentlicht in:American journal of hospice & palliative medicine 2015-02, Vol.32 (1), p.84-89
Hauptverfasser: Benton, Kathleen, Stephens, James, Vogel, Robert, Ledlow, Gerald, Ackermann, Richard, Babcock, Carol, McCook, Georgia
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Black Americans are more likely than whites to choose aggressive medical care at the end of life. We present a retrospective cohort study of 2843 patients who received a counselor-based palliative care consultation at a large US southeastern hospital. Before the palliative consultation, 72.8% of the patients had no restrictions in care, and only 4.6% had chosen care and comfort only (CCO). After the consult, these choices dramatically changed, with only 17.5% remaining full code and 43.3% choosing CCO. Both before and after palliative consultation, blacks chose more aggressive medical care than whites, but racial differences diminished after the counselor-based consultation. Both African American and white patients and families receiving a counselor-based palliative consultation in the hospital make profound changes in their preferences for life-sustaining treatments.
ISSN:1049-9091
1938-2715
DOI:10.1177/1049909113506782