ObjectivesAccurate assessment that a patient is in the last phase of life is a prerequisite for timely initiation of palliative care in patients with a life-limiting disease, such as advanced cancer or advanced organ failure. Several palliative care quality standards recommend the surprise question (SQ) to identify those patients. Little is known about physicians’ views on identifying and disclosing the last phase of life of patients with different illness trajectories.MethodsData from two focus groups were analysed using thematic analysis with a phenomenological approach.ResultsFifteen medical specialists and general practitioners participated. Participants thought prediction of patients’ last phase of life, i.e. expected death within 1 year, is important. They seemed to find that prediction is more difficult in patients with advanced organ failure compared with cancer. The SQ was considered a useful prognostic tool; its use is facilitated by its simplicity but hampered by its subjective character. The medical specialist was considered mainly responsible for prognosticating and gradually disclosing the last phase. Participants’ reluctance to such disclosure was related to uncertainty around prognostication, concerns about depriving patients of hope, affecting the physician–patient relationship, or a lack of time or availability of palliative care services.ConclusionsPhysicians consider the assessment of patients’ last phase of life important and support use of the SQ in patients with different illness trajectories. However, barriers in disclosing expected death are prognostic uncertainty, possible deprivation of hope, physician–patient relationship, and lack of time or palliative care services. Future studies should examine patients’ preferences for those discussions.

No abstract

Background: Accurate assessment that a patient is in the last phase of life is a prerequisite for timely initiation of palliative care in patients with a life-limiting disease, such as advanced cancer or advanced organ failure. Several palliative care quality standards recommend the surprise question to identify those patients.Methods: Physicians’ views of identifying and disclosing the last phase of life and their experiences with using the surprise question for patients with advanced cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were explored in a qualitative focus group study. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.Results: Fifteen medical specialists and general practitioners participated in two focus groups. Themes discussed in the focus groups were: prediction and disclosure of the imminence of death. Participants thought prediction of imminent death, within one year, was important. The surprise question was considered a useful prognostic tool; its use is facilitated by its simplicity but hampered by its subjective character. The medical specialist was considered mainly responsible for prognosticating and gradual disclosing a patient’s imminent death. Physicians’ reluctance to disclose the imminence of death to a patient was related to the uncertainty around prognostication, concerns about depriving patients of hope or affecting the physician–patient relationship, or about a lack of time or of palliative care services. Conclusions: Physicians consider the assessment of patients’ imminent death important and support the use of the surprise question. However, they experience uncertainty and other barriers in disclosing imminent death. Future studies should examine patients’ preferences for those discussions. Trial registration: not applicable.