Background: Preferences of patients with advanced cancer are well studied in Western countries but less so in Asian communities where end-of-life discussions can be seen as taboo. This may lead to patients receiving care that is incongruent with their wishes as their disease progress. It is important for healthcare providers to have a better understanding of patients' experiences and preferences especially in a multicultural country like Malaysia with its diverse beliefs and values to facilitate better planning for future medical care.
Objectives: To explore the experiences and preferences of Malaysian patients with advanced cancer.
Design: Qualitative study of semi-structured interviews with thematic analysis.
Setting/subjects: Purposive sampling of 19 patients with Stage 4 cancer recruited from inpatient and outpatient settings in National Cancer Institute Malaysia.
Results: Three major themes emerged in the exploration of patients' experiences and care preferences in facing advanced cancer namely: 1) Dealing with poor prognosis 2) Spirituality as a source of strength and 3) Enablers of advance care planning.
Conclusion: This study highlighted the preference for healthcare providers to be culturally sensitive during end-of-life care discussion and the need for improved spiritual care for Malaysian patients with advanced cancer. Further studies exploring the role of spiritual and cultural factors in advance care planning among Malaysians would be helpful in guiding these efforts.
Keywords: advance care planning; communication; decision making; palliative care; qualitative research; spirituality.