Goals for Treatment - Patient/Provider Discussions

Pallimed's Drew Rosielle writes about a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, "Patient Involvement in Decisions to Limit Treatment: The Crucial Role of Agreement Between Physician and Patient." The study, by German and Swiss researchers, surveyed 76 cancer patients and their physicians where ". . .the limitation of life-prolonging treatment was discussed. Embedded researchers on the wards recorded the patient's history, medical condition, type of treatment limitation discussed, patient wishes, decision-making capacity, and patient involvement using an in-depth documentation procedure."