Table 2 Research aims and significance of the COMPASS study

1. To describe trajectories of patient and caregiver quality of life

❖ Identify modifiable risk factors

❖ Plan specific end-of-life care services to address deterioration in these quality of life domains

2. To quantify healthcare utilization and medical expenditures of patients at the end of life

❖ Identify predictors of high healthcare utilization and expenditure

❖ Plan for healthcare spending and subsidies

3. To describe patient reported pain and attitudes toward pain management at the end of life

❖ Inform understanding of patient experiences to optimize cancer pain management

4. To examine patient and caregiver awareness of and preferences for diagnostic and prognostic information

❖ Inform the extent of patient and caregiver awareness and the need to increase patient and caregiver understanding

5. To examine preferences for treatment and decision-making at the end of life

❖ Inform the extent patient preferences for treatments and decision-making are met and how practice can be improved

6. To examine awareness and utilization of hospice palliative care services

❖ Identify barriers to palliative care use and potential need for patient/ public education

7. To examine patient utilization of complementary and alternative therapies and their purpose

❖ Inform the extent, purpose, and costs

❖ Identify whether use of these therapies are barriers to seeking medical treatment and potential for patient education

8. To describe patient transitions between healthcare settings at the end of life

❖ Inform and improve on continuity of end-of-life care

9. To examine patient and caregiver perceived quality of care at the patient’s end of life

❖ Inform and improve quality of specific areas of end-of-life care

10. To describe caregiver bereavement adjustment

❖ Identify risk factors for caregiver bereavement adjustment difficulty

❖ Inform bereavement support service delivery