Survey says... you've come to the end
But if such a system were to show up in clinical settings -- and that, of course, is an enormous if -- would it really be used to shed light on patient preferences? Or would its real use be as a way of making family members feel better about their decisions? The authors suggest such a possible use: "This approach might help to relieve some of the burdens associated with making decisions for incapacitated patients, while allowing family and loved ones to retain final decision-making authority." The converse could also be true. What happens if a family's decision conflicts with the computer? Should the clinician tell them? Has the family made the "wrong" choice?
Scientific American has more on the "population-based treatment indicator."
-Greg Dahlmann
Labels: end of life, health services research