End-of-life discussions do not affect survival rates, study shows
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - 03:00
in Health & Medicine
Discussing and documenting patients' preferences for care at the end of life does not cause them any harm, contrary to recent claims. A new study published today in the Journal of Hospital Medicine found that patients who talk with their physicians about end-of-life care and have an advance directive in their medical record have similar survival rates as patients who do not have these discussions and documents.