Participants’ Reasons and Preferences Around Discussing Life Expectancy
| Reason/Preference | Wanted to Discuss Life Expectancya (n = 363) | Did Not Want to Discuss Life Expectancya (n = 515) |
|---|---|---|
| Reason for wanting to discuss life expectancyb | – | |
| Help patient better plan life | 270 (72.3) | |
| Important to be honest and open | 151 (42.2) | |
| Other | 16 (4.6) | |
| Reason for not wanting to discuss life expectancyb | – | |
| Doctors cannot predict life expectancy | 302 (56.7) | |
| May worry or depress patient | 272 (52.2) | |
| Other | 43 (9.7) | |
| Acceptable for the doctor to offer to discuss life expectancy? | ||
| Yes, as long as I can say no | 344 (94.8) | 222 (40.1) |
| No, the doctor should not have brought up the topic at all | 16 (5.2) | 291 (59.9) |
| Want the doctor to discuss life expectancy with family or friends? | ||
| Yes | 198 (57.9) | 65 (12.3) |
| No | 164 (42.1) | 450 (87.7) |
| If the doctor recommends stopping cancer screening due to limited life expectancy of the patient, should doctor then discuss life expectancy with the patient? | ||
| Yes | 305 (84.5) | 114 (21.3) |
| No | 58 (15.5) | 401 (78.7) |
| How should the doctor describe life expectancy of about 5 years? | ||
| In the range of a few years | 174 (49.2) | 255 (48.7) |
| About a 50-50 chance to live another 5 years | 188 (50.8) | 252 (51.3) |