JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
-
Crude mortality rates at the time of hospital discharge are commonly used to assess the quality of care provided to patients hospitalized following trauma. ⋯ Hospital discharge death rates are incomplete measures of death frequency for injured patients. Designation of the cause of death, especially among older, hospitalized, injured patients often reflects preexisting medical conditions. Adequate assessment of mortality following trauma requires measurement of the frequency of death following hospital discharge.
-
Previous studies have documented that cancer patients tend to overestimate the probability of long-term survival. If patient preferences about the trade-offs between the risks and benefits associated with alternative treatment strategies are based on inaccurate perceptions of prognosis, then treatment choices may not reflect each patient's true values. ⋯ Patients with metastatic colon and lung cancer overestimate their survival probabilities and these estimates may influence their preferences about medical therapies.