Life prolongation: views of elderly outpatients and health care professionals.

Life prolongation: views of elderly outpatients and health care professionals.

Kohn M; Menon G

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

1988

1988-09

A peculiar dynamic in communication exists between those who are most likely to be involved in life-prolongation decisions. We found that both the elderly and health care professionals talk about life-prolongation, but not with one another; that they consider some of the same factors as they think about the life-prolongation decision; and that most of them believe physicians should be responsible for initiating discussion. However, the physician or health care professional who wishes to avoid crisis situations also is reluctant to broach the issue for fear of unnecessarily alarming or compromising the defense mechanisms of the patient. The patient remains patient, waiting–with fears of dependency, memories of previous life-threatening experiences, and deep sensitivity for suffering–for the physician to initiate the discussion. Is a mediator such as a family member necessary in these situations? Is the hospital environment not conductive to discussion of less than heroic efforts?

Humans; Middle Aged; Aged; *Attitude of Health Personnel; Communication; Decision Making; Age Factors; *Physician-Patient Relations; *Attitude to Death; Empirical Approach; Patient Participation; Death and Euthanasia; Withholding Treatment; *Right to Die; Akron City Hospital; Resuscitation; Ethics; Stress; Medical; 80 and over; Psychological

Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

840–844

9

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