Factors for Consideration for Hematological Cancer Patients When Planning for Place of Death: A Constructive Grounded Theory Study.

Abstract

Background: Planning for place of death is considered troublesome for patients with hematological cancer. Qualitative studies have focused on healthcare professionals and caregivers. To date, no study has been conducted from the patient's perspective of planning for place of death in the last year of life.

Objective: To develop an understanding of how patients with hematological cancer experience planning for place of death in their last year of life.

Methods: The study used constructivist grounded theory, semistructured interviews, a constant comparison technique, and memoing to collect and analyze data. The 21 participants were attending a cancer center, cancer unit, or hospice in the United Kingdom.

Results: This article describes one core category, factors influencing planning for death, within the incurable hematology cancer illness trajectory through the following 2 subcategories: personal factors-driving away, developing a legacy, designing a death plan, and disease determining; and environmental factors-dependent determination, displacement of the home, and discernment of services.

Conclusion: This critical study illustrates that planning for place of death is complex and multifaceted in conjunction with an unpredictable incurable illness trajectory.

Implications for practice: Preferences for the place of death will change over time depending on the illness trajectory experienced by patients with hematological cancer and the level of physical and emotional energy and independence afforded to discuss and plan.