End-of-life content in Comprehensive Cancer Control Plans: a systematic review.

Division of Adult and Community Health, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA. KTheis@cdc.gov

A recent project to define public health priorities for end of life (EOL) recommends incorporating EOL principles in all state/territory/tribe Comprehensive Cancer Control (CCC) Plans. The degree to which EOL content is currently included in CCC Plans was assessed through a systematic review of CCC Plans, examining keywords, definitions, topics, data, goals, and strategies. Forty-five plans (42 state, 3 tribal) were eligible. Forty-one CCC Plans (91%) included the keyword "end-of-life." EOL goals were most often categorized as use of care, access to care, and awareness of EOL issues among patients/public and providers. The top EOL strategies were research, provider education, and patient/public education. The results establish a baseline of EOL content in CCC Plans and should help improve assistance in future CCC planning efforts.

PMID: 17890347 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]