Cochrane · systematic review · CD013116
Interventions for interpersonal communication about end of life care between health practitioners and affected people
Ryan, RE, Connolly, M, Bradford, NK, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2022 · Cochrane Library
Consumers and CommunicationAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
5
current version
GRADE rated
4
No studies
1
Included studies
NR
No studies 1 · 20%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 1 · 20%Low 3 · 60%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Summary of findings
Population: people approaching the end of life (within 12 months), their family members and/or carers
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Knowledge and understanding Variable scales: information (amount and type) needs/preferences; discordance between patient and physician survival and curability estimates Timing: immediately to 1 month post‐consultation | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 552 participants | Low Downgraded: inconsistency, indirectness |
Evaluation of the communication: different constructs (perceptions of communication quality; patient‐centredness of communication; involvement preferences; doctor‐patient relationship measures) Timing: immediately post‐consultation to 18 weeks pos... | no estimate extracted | 6 studies · 6 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision, indirectness |
Discussions of EoL/EoL care: discussion timing and length EMR review post‐death Timing: at time of family conference (intervention) in ICU; post‐death  | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 484 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision, indirectness |
Discussions of EoL/EoL care: discussion occurrence EMR review post‐death; coding of consultations; self‐reported occurrence Timing: immediately, 1 or 2 weeks post‐consultation; after death | no estimate extracted | 4 studies · 786 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness |
Adverse (unintended) outcomes  | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |