It is not enough to have an end-of-life care plan, that plan needs to be communicated with family members and the healthcare team. Canadian researchers found that although most participants had discussed their plans with family, only one-third had communicated the plan with their family doctor, and even fewer with a specialist. In this study, most older patients valued quality of life over unnecessary prolongation of life through the use of technology.
PositiveTip: Patients and family members must communicate their end-of-life wishes with their physicians to assure compliance.