Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-252) and index.
Contents:
Dealing with the inevitability of death -- Communication, hope and honesty -- Religion, healing and death -- Patient autonomy and medical expertise: how to find a balance -- Planning for your life, illness and death -- Do no harm -- Statistics: they help and they fool -- Why doctors over-treat: training and mindset -- Why doctors over-treat: pressure from society and the medical -- Establishment -- Why doctors over-treat: flaws in the way they deal with patients -- When doctors say 'no' -- Why patients demand unrealistic treatments -- How to reduce over-treatment -- How to proceed toward comfort.
Summary:
This guide for patients facing serious illnesses for which the path to wellness is unclear explains some of the influences that may prompt physicians to recommend futile treatments and describes specific ways of obtaining information to get a clear idea of all available options. --Publisher
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.