PERSPECTIVES OF PAIN, SPIRITUALITY, AND ADVANCE CARE PLANNING AMONG LATINO ADULTS WITH CANCER

Abstract

Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States and experience inequality in their receipt of palliative care resources and services. This descriptive study examines the connection between pain, spirituality, and intentions to discuss advance care planning among a subset of Latino adults with cancer. A secondary dataset was used to address the research questions: “how does pain and spirituality influence advance care planning among Latino adults with cancer?” and “how are Latino adults with cancer, who report pain, coping in the context of a limited palliative care infrastructure?” We examined a subset of 11 Latino participants diagnosed with cancer who completed the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System, a Spirituality Assessment, and the Advance Care Planning and Engagement Survey prior to talking with Palliative Care Lay Advisors. These 11 participants self-reported their pain as four or greater (e.g., not well-managed) at the time of the survey. The participants were composed of six men and five women with a mean age of 50. Only one of the 11 participants had signed official advance care planning documents. Still, most participants reported a high sense of spirituality which may have allowed them to cope better with their pain.