Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Impact of a decision aid on surrogate decision-makers' perceptions of feeding options for patients with dementia.
In advanced dementia, feeding problems are nearly universal, and families face difficult decisions about feeding options. Initial interviews for a randomized trial were used to describe surrogates' perceptions of feeding options, and to determine whether a decision aid on feeding options in advanced dementia would improve knowledge, reduce expectation of benefit from tube feeding, and reduce conflict over treatment choices for persons with advanced dementia. ⋯ A structured decision aid can be used to improve decision making about feeding options in dementia care.