Avoidant conversations about death by clinicians cause delays in reporting of neutropenic sepsis: Grounded theory study

Evidence suggests that patients delay reporting symptoms of neutropenic sepsis (NS) despite the risk to their life. This study aimed to elicit factors that contribute to delayed patient reporting of NS symptoms.A constructivist grounded theory study used observations of chemotherapy consultations (13 h) and 31 in-depth interviews to explore beliefs, experiences, and behaviors related to NS. Participants included women with breast cancer, their...