The authors discuss state court decisions and statutes that address the refusal of artificial feeding by competent patients and the withholding of artificial feeding from incompetent patients. These decisions, the ...

Decisions on providing or withholding care for incompetent patients were traditionally made jointly by physicians and family members. Living wills represent a second approach, and now a third approach--the durable power of ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe how medical residents discuss do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders with patients. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Inpatient medical wards of one university tertiary care center, one urban ...

Questionnaires completed at two San Francisco health facilities by 118 male homosexuals with AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) revealed that, while the majority had thought about life-sustaining treatment and choice ...

Advance directives have not fulfilled their promise of facilitating decisions about end-of-life care for incompetent patients. Many legal requirements and restrictions concerning advance directives are counterproductive. ...