Abstract: Objective: To develop an interventional programme to enhance death preparedness in patients with advanced cancer and to conduct an initial evaluation of its effectiveness, in order to provide a basis for improving the quality of hospice care. Methods: Based on the Outlook Intervention Theory Framework, an interventional programme for death preparedness in advanced cancer patients was developed using literature analysis, semi-structured interviews, and the Delphi method. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 30 patients from the oncology department of a tertiary grade A hospital in Wuhan, from November 2024 to April 2025. The patients were randomly assigned to the control group and the experimental group according to the random number table method. Patients in the control group received routine health education, while patients in the experimental group received an end-of-life readiness intervention on the basis of the routine health education. The two groups were compared in terms of death preparedness, sense of meaning in life, and quality of life scores. Results: The interventional programme consisted of four parts: life story review, forgiveness and relief, legacy and farewell, and confronting the meaning of death. After the intervention, the scores of death preparedness, sense of meaning in life, and quality of life of patients in the experimental group were 82.84±12.61, 44.89±5.78, and 80.56±12.18, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the control group (69.87±10.42, 39.41±5.34, 70.45±10.46) (all P<0.05). Conclusion: The application of death preparedness interventional programme for patients with advanced cancer helps to improve their level of death preparedness, optimize end-of-life care services, and thereby enhance the quality of hospice care.

Key words: advanced cancer; death preparedness; Delphi method; programme construction; nursing; hospice care