Do you see what I see? Families, physicians, and prognostic dissonance in the intensive care unit.

摘要

Deaths in American intensive care units often follow decisions to forego life support (1). Most decisions emerge from formal meetings, during which physicians and patients' families consider goals of care and treatment options (2). Honest discussions about prognosis play a crucial role at these meetings and foster appropriate decisions. Prognosis strongly influences treatment choices. Typically, a patient's willingness to pursue aggressive care is directly proportional to the likelihood of acceptable functional and cognitive outcomes, good quality of life, and survival (3, 4).