‘The focus must be on quality of life, not just extending it’

With the book Add life to the days pulmonologist of the Wilhelmina Hospital Assen (WZA) Sander de Hosson and writer Els Quaegebeur want to pay more attention to care after a bad news conversation.

According to De Hosson, it is important to talk about extending life or adding something to the quality of life, as long as someone is still alive. “As soon as people hear that they have lung cancer, for example, they ask the question: ‘How long do I have left?’ and that is an understandable question. How long is also important, but how well is even more important,” says the pulmonologist in the RTV Drenthe program Cassata.

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