Table 2.
Participant Preferences for Discussing Prognosis with Their Doctors
| Description | Domain | Quote |
|---|---|---|
| 75% of participants said they would want to discuss prognosis with their doctor | To prepare: | “He can tell me. It’s all right—to help me get ready” (African-American woman, age 78) |
| Logistically or financially | “I would take money out of the bank and see who I could give it to” (Latino man, age 84) | |
| Psychologically or spiritually | “I need to prepare for eternity. If I can change something for the better, it’s my opportunity to do so. If I don’t know, I couldn’t reform” (White woman, age 78) | |
| Friends and family | “I would talk and spend time with my family and friends more. I would talk to the people close to me. Finish all the unfinished business” (Chinese-American woman, age 76) | |
| To make the most of the time they have left | “I would strive to live each day well…I would try to go out and have fun!” (Latino woman, age 65) | |
| “So I would have the time to make the most of myself” (Chinese-American man, age 93) | ||
| To Make medical or health-related decisions | “To see how much—what I could do to help people out, and how to live better and everything—get my life straight…It would be a great help” (White man, age 72) | |
| “I don’t want my death to be a complete surprise. I’d like to know what can be done, if anything can be done, to prolong my life. If there is, tell me about it. If there isn’t, tell me that too. I want to know” (African-American woman, age 97) | ||
| “I would like to ask the physician, why is the reason I would die 5 or 10 years later…I, myself, can do better” (Chinese-American man, age 93) | ||
| 25% of participants said they would prefer not to discuss prognosis with their doctor | Too emotionally difficult | “I would be in more anguish. It’s better not to know” (Latino woman, age 88) |
| “If you are told you only have so long to live, you will get depressed. You will go downhill thinking you will only reach a certain age” (Latino man, age 66) | ||
| Prognostic information is not useful | “I would not change what I am doing and my children wouldn’t either…I don’t think I would feel good because I have accepted it” (Latino woman, age 86) | |
| Doctors can’t estimate prognosis | “I don’t need [my doctor]’s warning. I don’t need his advice. He’s also human. He’s not God to know when I’m going to die” (Filipino woman, age 85) | |
| “I wouldn’t believe it… [doctors are] just guessing. God is the only one knows” (African-American woman, age 88) |