Talk to people about dying - they can handle it, say geriatricians and patients
Article Abstract:
Physicians should initiate talking about advance directives and concerns and values about dying with aged patients when they are in fairly good health, not when they are being admitted to the hospital. Despite the objectives of the Patient Self-determination Act, less than 20% of patients discuss with their physician how they wish to be cared for in the event of coma or end-stage terminal disease or who should make decisions if they cannot. Unfortunately, until the medical profession becomes more familiar with advance directives, they may be automatically or inadvertently mistaken for 'do not resuscitate' orders. Some physicians fear discussing death may upset the patient, but reports from the American Geriatric Society show such talks do not increase death anxiety. Furthermore, even clinically depressed patients make choices about treatment that do not differ significantly from those of patients who are not depressed. Talking about patients' concerns about dying and not just specific case scenarios may be even more beneficial to both physician and patient.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1993
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Scientists chart course for brain map
Article Abstract:
The goal of the Human Brain Project is to define the brain's structure and function, to discover how humans think and learn and to understand how diseases like Alzheimer's and schizophrenia interfere with normal functioning. The Institute of Medicine's Committee on a Neurocircuitry Database has recommended forming an international computer network to coordinate all the information on brain structure and function. As research becomes more technical and specialized, scientists need a way of integrating information from fields as diverse as biochemistry and behavior and from data on the activity of a single neuron and the nervous system as a whole. One major problem in designing the database is how to incorporate and group related images into the system. The Human Brain Project is ambitious and will be expensive. In the long run, however, costs may be cut as laboratories will be able to share information and avoid duplicating research.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1993
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
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