April 2010
News stories offer glimpses into end-of-life care in the U.S.
Advance Directives Coinciding with the five-year anniversary of Terri Schiavo’s death on May 31, the New England Journal of Medicine has released a study on the benefits of advance directives. These articles provide an overview of the study.
Newsweek Online—"Death panels" revisited: Studies show seniors seek end of life "comfort care", April 2010
Associated Press—1 in 4 elderly need care decisions made for them, April 2010
Physician/Patient Communication
Survey results showed that many physicians delay communicating end-of-life care issues with terminally ill patients. These delays may lead to patients not having the information necessary to make informed choices early in their treatment.
Los Angeles Times—Study: Doctors delay communicating end-of-life care issues with terminally ill patients, January 2010
Cost of Care
A CBS News segment seeks to explain why medical care is so costly during the last two months of life … and why many patients spend their last moments hooked up to machines on an intensive care unit.
Benefits of Hospice
Columnist Jane Brody shadowed hospice workers for a month and gained some insight into why hospice patients tend to live longer … and die more peacefully.
New York Times—In hospice, care and comfort as life wanes, November 2009
