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American Society of Clinical Oncology Study

[By Staff Writers]

Only one-third of terminally ill cancer patients said their doctors had discussed end-of-life care, according to a recent federally funded study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago.

Study Results

According to the study, patients who had these talks were no more likely to become depressed than those who did not. Moreover, they were less likely to spend their final days in hospitals tethered to machines, avoided costly futile care, and with loved ones more at peace after they died, reported the Associated Press on June 15, 2008.

Assessment

The study was the first to look at what happens to patients if they are, or are not, asked what kind of care they’d like to receive if they were dying, according to lead researcher Dr. Alexi Wright of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The study involved 603 people in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Texas. All had failed chemotherapy for advanced cancer and had life expectancies of less than a year.

And so, is the emerging new concept of collaborative or participatory medicine – known as Healthcare 2.0 – fact, fiction or just plain hype?

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Filed under: Managed Care, Quality Initiatives, Surveys and Voting | Tagged: collaborative care, healthcare 2.0, participatory medcine |