Decisions at the End of Life Guided by Communities of Patients
The Hastings Center ReportPublished 1 September 1993
Linda L. Emanuel, Ezekiel J. Emanuel
Citations61
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score0.50
SNIP0.86
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TL;DR
To guide treatment decisions for incompetent patients who have no advance directives, health care institutions should look to the preferences of their own communities of patients to ensure that incompetent patients' wishes will be followed.
Abstract
To guide treatment decisions for incompetent patients who have no advance directives, health care institutions should look to the preferences of their own communities of patients. That is the best way to ensure that incompetent patients' wishes will be followed.
Keywords
MedicineHealth Professions
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