Unwanted care at the end of life

Patients with chronic illnesses often set limits on the interventions they want to receive in the hospital, but how often are those instructions followed? According to a new study that looked at 1,800 patients, more than a third received care that was potentially discordant with their wishes. The study, which examined care during the last six months of patients’ lives, found that patients with dementia were more likely to receive care that complied with their wishes. Patients who came to the hospital because of trauma, on the other hand, were more likely to receive discordant care. In a separate editorial, researchers called the study “sobering,” arguing that clinicians need strategies to ensure patients “near the end of life receive only those treatments that are both desired and beneficial.”