Conclusions: The recent trend has been to rely on proxy decision making for incompetent patients. Support for proxy decision making has failed to acknowledge the growing body of ethical and empirical research suggesting that ...

Over the past two decades a societal consensus has developed around the principle that decisions about life-sustaining treatment should be guided by patient self-determination. According to the President's Commission, ...

Lung transplantation has become an established rescue therapy for patients with end-stage disease. The major problem, however, is the shortage of organ donors. Living related donation has been successful in kidney and liver ...

Conclusion: The PSDA [Patient Self-Determination Act] is a welcome development for nursing facilities, as well as residents and families. For years, many residents, families, and facilities have not confronted the issue of ...

The prolongation of human life, that is devoid of quality, creates significant financial and emotional burdens for patients, families, medical care providers, and society. Healthcare providers acknowledge that there ...

In the traditional 'fix-it' model of medical decision making, the identified problem is typically characterized by a diagnosis that indicates a deviation from normalcy. When a medical problem is multifaceted and the available ...

...I suggest that making formal, written plans based on individual preferences apart from our families is a white, middle-class approach to life planning that is at odds with how many people actually lead their lives, ...