Table 1 Sources supporting the use of particular communication practices
Practice | Number of sources | Settings where the practice has been observed |
|---|---|---|
Providing opportunities for patients or family members to raise illness progression or end of life matters to discuss | 5 | Palliative care/hospice [40, 41] Oncology [49] |
Seeking a patient or family member’s perspective about a specific illness progression or end of life matter | 5 | Palliative care/hospice [41, 42] Intensive care [57] Oncology [49] Therapy [64] |
Referring to the future indirectly | 9 | Palliative care/hospice [42,43,44] Cardiology [59] |
Referring to the future directly | 7 | |
Linking previous discussions or events relating to illness progression or end of life | 8 | Palliative care/hospice [40, 42, 45, 46] Counselling/therapy [60,61,62] Therapy [65] |
Using hypothetical scenarios to foster discussions about illness progression or end of life | 7 | Hospice [46] Oncology [49] Cardiology [59] |
Framing illness progression and end of life in general terms | 5 | Hospice [46] |
Acknowledging uncertainty about the future | 2 | Hospice [44] Oncology [52] |
Displaying sensitivity | 6 | Palliative care/hospice [43, 47] Oncology [49] |
Emphasising the positive | 5 |