Physicians as patients. Choices regarding their own resuscitation

Abstract

The results of this initial survey indicate that most physicians would not want cardiopulmonary resuscitation with a variety of underlying chronic diseases and corresponding functional impairments--particularly with advancing age. Conversely, with an acute myocardial infarction, all physicians surveyed would desire cardiopulmonary resuscitation at age 40 years, and many would continue to desire it with advancing age.

Life‐Sustaining Treatments: What Do Physicians Want and Do They Express Their Wishes to Others?

“…For these reasons, in the event of catastrophic illness or permanent incapacity, if physicians do not discuss preferences or execute advance directives, others without direct experience or training related to end-of-life care will be unlikely to do so. Surveys of physicians, published between 1991 and 1999, reveal that between 13% and 32% report having established an advance directive, 1,2 but studies have been limited by small sample sizes, 3,4 poor response rates, 2,5 and restriction to a specific specialty or geographic region. 1,3,[5][6][7][8] Although the study of what physicians want regarding end-of-life care may be important in its own right, understanding physicians' choices has relevance for patient care.…”

Preferences of Physicians and Their Patients for End-of-Life Care

“…[10][11][12] Despite the burgeoning literature concerning advance directives, 13 little is known about physicians' own desires for end-of-life care. [14][15][16][17] To shed some light on this subject, we surveyed faculty and resident physicians practicing in an inner-city academic general internal medicine practice and conducted detailed interviews with more than 800 of their primary care patients. Physicians and their patients were asked the same questions about their preferences for end-of-life treatments.…”

Freud's Physician-Assisted Death

“…24,25 It is perhaps ironic that physicians are likely to be more conservative than their patients in their personal preferences for use of technology at the end of life. [26][27][28][29] We believe that patients' demands for autonomy in medical decision making, and their fears that they cannot control the overuse of medical technology in their final days, will result in more requests to physicians for help to end the suffering through euthanasia. There is already evidence, in fact, that requests for assistance in dying have become relatively commonplace and acceptable in American medicine.…”