The end of a person’s life is a time of intense transition and difficult choices. Although nothing can fully prepare an individual or a family for the gravity of the decisions that need to be made, end-of-life care planning can help ensure that a dying individual\u2019s wishes about his or her care are followed.<\/p>\n
Traditionally, family conversations have led this process. Relatively few Americans have written advance health care directives. A recent study suggests that incentivizing physicians to discuss end-of-life care could boost participation in end-of-life care planning dramatically.<\/p>\n
In the study, palliative care specialist Dr. Joshua Lakin and a team of his colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center instituted an incentive program to improve documentation of patients\u2019 advance care decisions. <\/p>\n
The researchers developed a standard form, which was placed in patient\u2019s electronic medical records. The form documented preferences, including whether the patient would like to be resuscitated, (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The end of a person’s life is a time of intense transition and difficult choices. Although nothing can fully prepare an individual or a family for the gravity of the decisions that need to be made, end-of-life care planning can…<\/span><\/p>\n