Public ignorance about dying increases fears about the pain and indignity associated with the event, senior medical academics say today.
Large numbers of people get information from fictional events while the most common source of knowledge about dying is from family and friends, according to a survey conducted for the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Some 20% say they have gained their knowledge from documentaries while just 22% have gained it from medical professionals.
This leads to a lack of understanding that death can be "gentle, peaceful and pain-free", according to Professor Dame Lesley Fallowfield, professor of psycho-oncology at Sussex University.
The survey found that 60% of people said they knew "just a little" about what happens at the end of life.
It was conducted by pollsters Ipsos MORI and used face to face interviews with nearly 1,000 adults. However nearly 400 of these declined to answer questions about dying.
The academy will be launching a public campaign in Lewisham, London, using a "pop up" installation called the Departure Lounge. A similar website goes live today.
Academy president Sir Robert Lechler said: "It is striking that six in ten people feel they know very little or nothing about what happens to a person at the end of life, despite half of people having been with someone when they died.
"People are as just as likely to get their information about what happens at the end of life from documentaries as they are from medical professionals, and just under half of people rely on conversations with friends and family. Without doubt this shows we need to do more to give people access to reliable information about what happens at the end of life and encourage conversations about this important topic.
"Not knowing what may happen to a loved one as they die can exacerbate fears at the hardest times of our life.
"It may also mean that people struggle to think clearly about how best to fulfil the wishes of a dying family member or friend, let alone know what to ask doctors and nurses."
Professor Fallowfield added: "TV and films rarely ever depict ‘normal’ deaths.
"Although grieving the loss of loved ones can be a difficult process, some people do speak about their loved one’s death as having been a positive experience. We need to demystify death and talk about it more."
https://acmedsci.ac.uk/policy/policy-projects/the-departure-lounge
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