Booklist Review
Harvard medical researcher Volandes jumps into the current headline-worthy fray by advocating for patients having the right to make their own end-of-life decisions. Too often, he says, patients leave these decisions to their physicians, who, without a directive from the patient, will do what they have been trained to do: everything possible to prolong life. The result is that far too many people die after financially-bankrupting interventions have left them but shells of their former selves, hooked up to life-sustaining machines, alone in a hospital. When asked, most people opt for a quiet, dignified passing at home in their own beds. The way this disconnect occurs between what people want and what the medical profession provides is the focus of this book, with Volandes strongly recommending that patients and doctors have the conversation. Volandes believes that people should make their families and their doctors aware of what they want for their final days. Worth the price of the book alone is Volandes' easy-to-follow guide for determining and making known one's end-of-life wishes.--Chavez, Donna Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Patients and doctors together all too frequently avoid one of the most important areas of health care: making advance decisions about care at the end of life. From both a personal and an evidence-based practice perspective, Volandes (Harvard Univ.; founder, Advance Care Planning Decisions) attempts to show both why these vital conversations need to happen and how to facilitate them. The subject has been of interest to the author throughout his career, and his research is among the most focused. Here he provides the stories of seven terminally ill patients who have dealt with making decisions in a variety of ways. His investigations, including a number of randomized controlled trials, have looked specifically at the use of videos that explain to patients what happens in three levels of care: life-prolonging, limited medical, and comfort. The trials reveal that neutral but informative videos combined with conversations with a physician leave patients better informed and more comfortable making their choices. Provided are three appendixes to help patients, physicians, and families begin the conversation. VERDICT Written with passion and clarity, this book moves beyond others on the topic by including empirical evidence of how to make such conversations about end-of-life care most effective.-Richard Maxwell, Porter Adventist Hosp. Lib., Denver (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
