An understanding of patients' care goals in the context of a serious illness is an essential
element of high-quality care, allowing clinicians to align the care provided with what is most …

BACKGROUND: The surprise question—“Would I be surprised if this patient died in the next
12 months?”—has been used to identify patients at high risk of death who might benefit from …

Inappropriate polypharmacy, especially in older people, imposes a substantial burden of
adverse drug events, ill health, disability, hospitalization, and even death. The single most …

Importance High-quality conversations between clinicians and seriously ill patients about
values and goals are associated with improved outcomes but occur infrequently. Objective …

Importance Observational studies demonstrate links between patient-centered
communication, quality of life (QOL), and aggressive treatments in advanced cancer, yet few …

Importance Earlier clinician-patient conversations about patients' values, goals, and
preferences in serious illness (ie, serious illness conversations) are associated with better …

Introduction Ensuring that patients receive care that is consistent with their goals and values
is a critical component of high-quality care. This article describes the protocol for a cluster …

Background Clinicians are inaccurate at predicting survival. The 'Surprise Question'(SQ) is a
screening tool that aims to identify people nearing the end of life. Potentially, its routine use …

Workforce shortages, late referrals, and palliative care program resource constraints present
significant barriers to meeting the needs of hospitalized patients facing serious illnesses …

Context Prostate cancer is the most frequent male cancer. Since the median age of
diagnosis is 66 yr, many patients require both geriatric and urologic evaluation if treatment is …