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Qualitative
Patients and their primary care providers identified 4 goals of life sustaining treatment

https://doi.org/10.1136/ebn.9.3.95

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    Rodriguez KL, Young AJ. Patients’ and healthcare providers’ understandings of life-sustaining treatment: are perceptions of goals shared or divergent? Soc Sci Med 2006;62:125–33.OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science

    Q What are the similarities and differences among patients and their primary care providers in their understanding of life sustaining treatment?

    DESIGN

    Qualitative study using indepth semistructured interviews.

    SETTING

    Outpatient primary care clinic in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Pittsburgh Healthcare System.

    PARTICIPANTS

    30 primary care providers at the clinic (19 physicians, 10 nurse practitioners, and 1 physician assistant) (mean age 41 y, 63% women) and 30 patients who were scheduled to meet with the provider during the next 2 months. Patient inclusion criteria were age ⩾60 years (mean age 71 y, 93% men), ambulatory, fluent in English, residence in the community, receiving outpatient care from the VA, no acute illness, and scores ⩾27 out of 30 on the Folstein mini-mental state examination.

    METHODS

    Individual, 1 hour, semistructured interviews were conducted with primary care providers and patients immediately after their clinic appointment. Participants were initially asked if they had an advance directive. Then, using open ended questions, patients were asked about 4 terms …

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    Footnotes

    • For correspondence: Dr K L Rodriguez, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. keri.rodriguez{at}med.va.gov

    • Source of funding: in part by the Department of Veterans Affairs.