Covid-19 and intensive care
The current coronavirus epidemic is putting hospitals under severe pressure and is leading to a substantial number of deaths. This is an occasion to consider making (if you have not…
Author Archives: David Metz
Endorsement from GPs
We recently received these endorsements of our website from two GPs who were seeking information on how to advise their patients about advance planning for end of life care: I…
GPs must pass on patient’s advance decisions to hospitals
The British Medical Journal of 29 March 2019 reported the outcome of a case in which the High Court judge told GPs that if they have in their files an…
Woman kept alive despite her advance directive wishes
This story from the BBC which demonstrates the importance of both making a living will and making it readily available to staff caring for patients: The family of an 81-year-old…
Consciousness in the vegetative state
A most interesting new book by Adrian Owen, a neuroscientist, entitled ‘Into the Gray Zone’, explores what he terms the border between life and death. The author has used brain…
Living Wills in old age
The My Living Will website initially focused on the specific medical conditions most likely to lead to loss of capacity to participate in decisions about health care towards the end…
End of life care for people with dementia: results of a survey
A recent contribution to thinking about end of life care for people with dementia has been made by the NHS Directors of Clinical Care for Dementia and End of Life…
All Party Parliamentary Group on Hospice and Palliative Care
Dr Isky Gordon and I were present at a well-attended meeting of the APPGHPC on 14 March at the House of Commons on the topic of the Mental Capacity Act…
States worse than death
A paper published last year in a journal of the American Medical Association reported findings of a study that asked patients in hospital with serious illnesses whether they considered certain…
Limited benefits of cancer chemotherapy
In an article (and podcast) in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) last November, Peter Wise, a former consultant physician, argues that the nearly 20% improvement in five year survival from…