Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Sep 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialSurrogates' agreement with patients' resuscitation preferences: effect of age, relationship, and SUPPORT intervention. Study to Understand Prognoses and Preferences for Outcomes and Risks of Treatment.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate an intervention to improve patient-surrogate agreement on end-of-life resuscitation preferences. ⋯ The SUPPORT intervention was not successful in increasing agreement between patients and surrogates. Because of the complex issues involved in end-of-life decision-making, a more aggressive intervention may be needed. Other findings suggest that improvements in communication are particularly needed when patients are older and when the surrogate is not a patient's immediate relative.