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Discussions about end-of-life care in nursing homes
Author(s)Elizabeth H Bradley, Vasum Peiris, Terrie Wetle
Journal titleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol 46, no 10, October 1998
Pagespp 1235-1241
KeywordsMedical care ; Terminal care ; Patients [nursing homes] ; Rights [elderly] ; Law ; United States of America.
AnnotationThe Patient Self Determination Act (PSDA) 1990 is a federal law that requires health care organisations to educate patients and staff about patients' rights to accept or refuse medical treatment. This study aimed to measure the frequency with which nursing home residents and their surrogates discussed with clinicians the resident's wishes concerning future treatment, and to assess the influence of the PSDA on the frequency and nature of such discussions. Documented discussions concerning future treatment wishes were abstracted from 600 randomly selected nursing home residents. Findings revealed that a large majority of residents (71.5%) had no discussion of future treatment wishes documented in their medical records, although the percentage of residents with document ed discussions and increased since the implementation of the PSDA. Of those in the post-PSDA cohort who had had discussions, 90% had only one discussion within the first year of admission, and more than half of those who had discussions discussed only life support systems rather than preferences for future treatment, including proxy decision-making. (AKM).
Accession NumberCPA-981118410 A
ClassmarkLK: LV: LHB:LF: IKR: VR: 7T

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