Numerous factors weighed when patients cannot make their own decisions

Living wills and surrogate decision makers account for only a portion of the many factors weighed by physicians when making medical decisions for hospitalized patients lacking the capability to make their own decisions, according to a recently published study. When asked to identify the single most important factor in making decisions for their patient, physicians most commonly reported "what was best for the patient overall" (33 percent), "what the patient would have wanted you to do" (29 percent), "the patient's pain and suffering" (13 percent), and "the patient's prognosis" (12 percent). EurekaAlert