Perceived risk of death among patients with advanced cancer: a qualitative directed content analysis

Risk perception with respect to death is a prerequisite for patients with advanced cancer when the time comes to make medical decisions. However, the nature of death risk perception remains unclear.

In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 patients with advanced cancer who were recruited from two hospitals and one home-based hospice in Fujian, China. Interviews were transcribed and directed content analysis applied. The Tripartite Model of Risk Perception was used as a theoretical framework.

Patients with advanced cancer perceived their risk of death in different ways. Professional communication about death risk and data-driven risk perception were common in clinical settings. Affective influences, inherent cognition, and comparisons to others or oneself also contributed to the subjects’ self-perceived death risk.

This theory-informed qualitative study clarifies the nature of the perceived risk of death among patients with advanced cancer. The study findings offer healthcare providers a more nuanced understanding of the perceived risk of death among patients with advanced cancer.