Doctors and patients are generally on the same page when it comes to treatment options and that includes when end of life choices are to be made. The idea that there is a point where life is no longer worth living under certain circumstances has helped to drive more and more people into requesting that extraordinary measures not be taken to prevent death. More than %80 of people over the age of 80 chose that path in order to avoid the often painful extreme proceedures that are required to save them. But what happens when a person wants every available measure used to prolong their life even though the doctor disagrees? The answer is to have honest and open communication between doctor and patient. Sometimes there is a misunderstanding about what DNR means and other times there is a specific event that the person wants to hold onto lie for and then will change their mind. In any event, frank talks are the best way to fully explain how to approach end of life care in way that allows the patient to understand what is at stake and make their choice based on all possible information.
See Ravi Parikh, When a doctor and patient disagree about care at the end of life, The Washington Post, April 18, 2016.
Special thanks to Lewis Saret for bringing this article to my attention.
