Table 4.
Preferences of patients with cancer to EOL care (n=239)
| Preferences to EOL care | N (%) |
| Preferred place of care | |
| Preferred place of care in the EOL* | |
| Home | 157 (65.7) |
| General hospital ward | 24 (10.0) |
| Palliative care unit | 26 (10.9) |
| Nursing home | 9 (3.8) |
| Others | 18 (7.5) |
| Whether or not related to medical insurance* | |
| Yes | 71 (29.7) |
| No | 72 (30.1) |
| Not sure | 84 (35.2) |
| Preferred place of death | |
| Preferred place of death in the EOL* | |
| Home | 189 (79.1) |
| Hospital | 24 (10.0) |
| Community care facilities | 7 (2.9) |
| Others | 18 (7.5) |
| Whether or not you will come back home when dying in the hospital* | |
| Yes | 203 (84.9) |
| No | 33 (13.8) |
| The reasons why you are choosing to die at home (n=203, multichoice)† | |
| Home is the most familiar place | 145 (71.4) |
| Hoping to be accompanied with families | 157(77.3) |
| Wishing to die before the tablets of ancestors | 29 (14.3) |
| Others | 6 (3.0) |
| The reasons why you are not choosing to die at home (n=33, multichoice)‡ | |
| Fear of not having access to adequate medical care | 10 (30.3) |
| Hoping to not cause any distress to families | 25 (75.8) |
| Fear of families’ confusions when dying | 13 (39.4) |
| Others | 3 (9.1) |
| Preferences of truth disclosure | |
| Willingness to know the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease* | |
| No | 22 (9.2) |
| Only want to know the curable disease | 58 (24.3) |
| Yes, no matter what type of disease it is | 157 (65.7) |
| Do you want your doctor to tell your family or friends about your illness?* | |
| No | 32 (13.4) |
| Only wishing the families to be informed | 58 (24. 3) |
| Only wishing myself to be informed | 42 (17.6) |
| Wishing myself and families to be informed | 106 (44.4) |
| Willingness to know the terminal stage of the disease when coming to the EOL | |
| No | 26 (10.9) |
| Only wishing the families to be informed | 36 (15.1) |
| Only wishing myself to be informed | 71 (29.7) |
| Wishing myself and families to be informed | 106 (44.4) |
| Preferred treatment | |
| Preferred treatment in the EOL* | |
| Strongly wishing to prolong life expectancy | 37 (15.5) |
| Wishing to prolong life expectancy | 68 (28.5) |
| Wishing to improve quality of life | 54 (22.6) |
| Strongly wishing to improve quality of life | 75 (31.4) |
| Willingness to sign medical decision agreements in the EOL* | |
| No, neither in written nor in oral form | 33 (13.8) |
| Yes, only in oral form | 40 (16.7) |
| Yes, entrusting a family member or agent to sign after dictation | 95 (39.7) |
| Yes, signing in written form | 64 (26.8) |
*The total number of participants was not 239, because there were missing data in this item.
†Among 203 participants who will come back to home when dying in the hospital.
‡Among 33 participants who will not come back to home when dying in the hospital.
EOL, end-of-life.