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Abstracto

Perceptions of Quality-of-life Advocates in a Southeast Asian Society

Lalit Kumar Radha Krishna, Rachel Jia Yu Lee, Dorset Shin Wei Sim,Keson Tay, Sumytra Menon and Ravindran Kanesvaran

In family-centric societies, maintenance of hope amongst ill family members is a pivotal duty of the family. Meeting this duty often takes the form of continuing treatment even when such options may be futile. This makes efforts to maximize quality-of-life options challenging. We explore Singaporean perceptions surrounding quality-of-life advocates who advice quality-of-life measures over potentially life-prolonging treatment in terminal illness using a novel video vignette based semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that quality-oflife advocates are viewed as failing in their filial obligations and perceived as ‘selfish’, ‘money-minded’ and ‘immoral’. These findings highlight the need to educate patients and caregivers about quality-of-life approaches.