Objectives. Although it is frequently assumed that issues of religious faith become more
salient at the end of life, there is little or no population-based empirical evidence testing this …

End‐of‐life decision making is a complex phenomenon and providers, patients, and families
often have different views about the appropriateness of treatment choices. The results …

The Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990 required medical facilities to provide patients
with written notification of their right to refuse or consent to medical treatment. Using this Act …

End-of-life research and interventions have mostly focused on patients and family. There are
compelling reasons for studying end-of-life experience and care from a community …

A Few Months to Live describes what dying is like from the perspectives of nine terminally ill
individuals and their caregivers. Documenting a unique study of end-of-life experiences that …

American society today. A recent report, Approaching Death, from the Institute of Medicine
discusses the severity and pervasiveness of problems involving end-of-life care. 1 The …

The goals of medical ethics education comprise several dimensions: legal duties to secure
informed consent, tell the truth and protect confidentiality; objective competencies that …

Describes the main forces changing how people experience the end of their lives in the US
today. The emphasis is on epidemiological data, and insights from research, policy …

Chronic illnesses are now the most common causes of death in the United States (1). For
many patients, medical care can slow the course of the illness and improve quality of life, but …

Recent reports document that many physicians do not know their patients' preferences for
life‐sustaining interventions as part of end‐of‐life care, or fail to carry out those expressed …