Promoting Prognostic Understanding and Health Equity for Patients With Advanced Liver Disease: Using "Best Case/Worst Case"

Prognostic Communication, Symptom Burden, Psychological Distress, and Quality of Life Among Patients With Decompensated Cirrhosis

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Timely prognostic communication is a critical component of care for patients with decompensated cirrhosis (DC). However, few studies have examined the association of prognostic communication with symptoms, mood, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in this population.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study of 218 outpatients with DC, we assessed their self-reported health status (terminally ill vs not terminally ill), their prognostic communication with their hepatologists (Prognosis and Treatment Preferences Questionnaire), symptom burden (Revised Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale), psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and HRQOL (Short-Form Liver Disease Quality of Life scale). We used linear regression to examine associations among patients' self-reported health status and prognostic communication with their symptom burden, psychological distress, and HRQOL.

RESULTS

Over 75% of patients reported that prognostic communication was helpful for making treatment decisions, maintaining hope, and coping with their disease. However, 81% had never discussed their end-of-life care wishes with their hepatologists. Overall, 36% self-reported a terminally ill health status, which was associated with higher symptom burden (B = 8.33; P = .003), anxiety (B = 1.97; P = .001), and depression (B = 2.01; P = .001) and lower HRQOL (B = -7.22; P = .002). Patients who wished they had more information on their prognosis reported higher symptom burden (B = 7.14; P = .010), anxiety (B = 1.63; P = .005), and depression (B = 1.50; P = .010) and lower HRQOL (B = -7.65; P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Although most patients with DC highly valued prognostic communication, the majority reported never discussing their end-of-life care preferences with their hepatologists. Self-reported terminally ill health status and inadequate prognostic communication were associated with poorer symptoms, mood, and HRQOL. Interventions to improve prognostic communication while simultaneously providing adequate supportive care are warranted.

Barriers and Strategies to Effective Serious Illness Communication for Patients with End-Stage Liver Disease in the Intensive Care Setting

Background: Patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) often require Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission during the disease trajectory, but aggressive medical treatment has not resulted in increased quality of life for patients or caregivers. Methods: This narrative review synthesizes relevant data thematically exploring the current state of serious illness communication in the ICU with identification of barriers and potential strategies to improve performance. We provide a conceptual model underscoring the importance of providing comprehensible disease and prognosis knowledge, eliciting patient values and aligning these values with available goals of care options through a series of discussions. Achieving effective serious illness communication supports the delivery of goal concordant care (care aligned with the patient's stated values) and improved quality of life. Results: General barriers to effective serious illness communication include lack of outpatient serious illness communication discussions; formalized provider training, literacy and culturally appropriate patient-directed serious illness communication tools; and unoptimized electronic health records. ESLD-specific barriers to effective serious illness communication include stigma, discussing the uncertainty of prognosis and provider discomfort with serious illness communication. Evidence-based strategies to address general barriers include using the Ask-Tell-Ask communication framework; clinician training to discuss patients' goals and expectations; PREPARE for Your Care literacy and culturally appropriate written and online tools for patients, caregivers, and clinicians; and standardization of documentation in the electronic health record. Evidence-based strategies to address ESLD-specific barriers include practicing with empathy; using the "Best-Case, Worst Case" prognostic framework; and developing interdisciplinary solutions in the ICU. Conclusion: Improving clinician training, providing patients and caregivers easy-to-understand communication tools, standardizing EHR documentation, and improving interdisciplinary communication, including palliative care, may increase goal concordant care and quality of life for critically ill patients with ESLD.

Common mistakes and evidence-based approaches in goals-of-care conversations for seriously ill older adults in cardiac care unit

For older adults with serious, life-limiting illnesses near the end of life, clinicians frequently face difficult decisions about the medical care they provide because of clinical uncertainty. This difficulty is further complicated by unique challenges and medical advancements for patients with advanced heart diseases. In this article, we describe common mistakes encountered by clinicians when having goals-of-care conversations (e.g. conversations between clinicians and seriously ill patients/surrogates to discuss patient's values and goals for clinical care near the end of life.). Then, we delineate an evidence-based approach in goals-of-care conversations and highlight the unique challenges around decision-making in the cardiac intensive care unit.