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"What Bothers You the Most?" Initial Responses From Patients Receiving Palliative Care Consultation
Mindy Shah, MD*,
Timothy Quill, MD,
Sally Norton, PhD, RN,
Yvonne Sada, MD,
Marcia Buckley, RN, NP,
and
Charlotte Fridd, BS
University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mindy_shah{at}urmc.rochester.edu.
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Abstract |
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The purpose of this investigation is to describe how hospitalized palliative care patients respond to the question "What bothers you the most?" at the time of initial consultation. A retrospective descriptive content analysis of first person responses routinely recorded during initial interview (n = 286) was carried out. Responses were grouped in 7 major categories: physical distress (44%); emotional, spiritual, existential, or non-specific distress (16%); relationships (15%); concerns about the dying process and death (15%); loss of function and normalcy (12%); distress about location (11%); and distress with medical providers or treatment (9%). Fifteen percent of responses were unable to be reliably categorized. Although many of our patients were not able to answer open-ended questions because of illness, those who did shared a wide range of concerns that provided a starting point for clinical prioritization. Further research into the use of such simple questions at time of initial consultation is warranted.
First published on January 15, 2008, doi:10.1177/1049909107310138
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine® 2008;25:88.
A more recent version of this article appeared on May 1, 2008
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