Decision-making ability and advance directive preferences in nursing home patients and proxies.
We studied 39 nursing home patients and proxies to assess their decision-making capability and preferences regarding advance directives (ADs) or "living wills." Most patients willingly stated preferences; over half opted to forego burdensome measures when death appeared imminent. Patients perceived as decisionally capable were more likely to forego life-sustaining measures than those of questionable capability. The vast majority of proxies disapproved of using life-sustaining measures, even in some cases with limited knowledge of patients' preferences.
Diamond
E L
EL
Jernigan
J A
JA
Moseley
R A
RA
Messina
V
V
McKeown
R A
RA
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D032921:Consensus; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008020:Life Support Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D012297:Right to Die