For decades, Americans have been urged to fill out documents specifying their end-of-life wishes before becoming terminally ill — living wills, do-not-resuscitate orders, and other written materials expressing treatment preferences. Now, a group of prominent experts is saying those efforts should stop because they haven’t improved end-of-life care. “Decades of research demonstrate advance care planning […]
Editor’s note: Brenda Denzler’s 2019 post about advance directives (reprinted below) came to mind when I read “What’s Wrong with Advance Directives?” a JAMA Viewpoint published earlier this month. Authors of the viewpoint, including Dr. Diane E. Meier, director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care, cite research showing that advance care planning does not deliver intended results. […]
Editor’s Note: Ilene Corina and her colleagues at the Pulse Center for Patient Safety Education & Advocacy are leading a 5-month-long campaign to encourage everyone to become better informed and more engaged in their healthcare. Between now and August 2020, the campaign, “Take Charge: 5 Steps to Safer Health Care,” will focus on one action per […]
Editor’s note: EngagingPatients.org has published posts recently that share a focus on advance directives for end-of-life care. With deeply personal choices, advance directives involve patients and family members in a wide range of concerns, touching on many topics in patient engagement. In this post, Brenda Denzler reflects on end-of-life choices and the experiences of other breast […]