Abstract
End-of-life decision-making is a complex process that can be extremely challenging. We describe a 42-year-old woman in an irreversible coma without an advance directive. The case serves to illustrate the complications that can occur in end-of-life decision-making and challenges in resolving difficult futility disputes. We review the role of advance directives in planning end-of-life care, the responsibility and historical performance of patient surrogates, the genesis of futility disputes, and approaches to resolving disputes.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 771-775 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Patient Preference and Adherence |
| Volume | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2013 |
Keywords
- Advance directive
- Conflict resolution
- End-of-life care
- Futility dispute
- Surrogate
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics (miscellaneous)
- Health Policy