JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effect of Palliative Care-Led Meetings for Families of Patients With Chronic Critical Illness: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Family caregivers of patients with chronic critical illness experience significant psychological distress. ⋯ Among families of patients with chronic critical illness, the use of palliative care-led informational and emotional support meetings compared with usual care did not reduce anxiety or depression symptoms and may have increased posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. These findings do not support routine or mandatory palliative care-led discussion of goals of care for all families of patients with chronic critical illness.
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The increasing legalization of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide worldwide makes it important to understand related attitudes and practices. ⋯ Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are increasingly being legalized, remain relatively rare, and primarily involve patients with cancer. Existing data do not indicate widespread abuse of these practices.