Physicians' legal defensiveness in end-of-life treatment decisions: Comparing attitudes and knowledge in states with different laws

Journal of Clinical Ethics

Volumn 17, Issue 1, 2006, Pages 15-26

  Van McCrary, S ^a   Swanson, Jeffrey W ^b   Coulehan, Jack ^a   Faber Langendoen, K ^c   Olick, Robert S ^c   Belling, Catherine ^a  

^a STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER   (United States)

^c State University of New York Upstate Medical University: College of Medicine   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; ATTITUDE TO HEALTH; COMPARATIVE STUDY; FACTORIAL ANALYSIS; GOVERNMENT; HEALTH PERSONNEL ATTITUDE; HUMAN; LEGAL ASPECT; MALPRACTICE; PHYSICIAN; QUESTIONNAIRE; TERMINAL CARE; TREATMENT WITHDRAWAL; UNITED STATES;

ATTITUDE OF HEALTH PERSONNEL; DEFENSIVE MEDICINE; FACTOR ANALYSIS, STATISTICAL; HEALTH KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, PRACTICE; HUMANS; NEW YORK; PHYSICIANS; QUESTIONNAIRES; STATE GOVERNMENT; TERMINAL CARE; TEXAS; UNITED STATES; WITHHOLDING TREATMENT;

EID: 33646183142     PISSN: 10467890     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (34)

1. S.V. McCrary et al., "Treatment Decisions for Terminally Ill Patients: Physicians' Legal Defensiveness and Knowledge of Medical Law," Law, Medicine and Healthcare 20, no. 4 (Winter 1992): 364-76.
2. J.W. Swanson and S.V. McCrary, "Medical Futility Decisions and Physicians' Legal Defensiveness: The Impact of Anticipated Conflict on Thresholds for End-of-Life Treatment," Social Science and Medicine 42, no. 1 (1996): 125-32.
3. In re Westchester County Medical Center ex rel. O'Connor, 72 N.Y.2d 517, 534 N.Y.S.2d 886, 531 N.E.2d 607 (1988).
4. N.Y. Mental Hyg. Law §§ 80.01-80.13 (Consol. 2004).
5. Tex. Health & Safety Code Ann. § 166.039 (West 2004).
6. N.Y. Pub. Health Law §§ 2980-2994 (Consol. 2003).
7. N.Y. Pub. Health Law §§ 2960-2979 (Consol. 2003).
8. McCrary et al., see note 1 above, 365-8;
9. Swanson and McCrary, see note 2 above, 126-9.
10. See generally A. Meisel and K.L. Cerminara, The Right to Die: The Law of End-of-Life Decisionmaking, 3rd ed. (New York: Aspen Publishers, 2004).
11. In re Storar, 52 N.Y.2d 363, 438 N.Y.S.2d 266 (1981).
12. O'Connor, see note 3 above.
13. Ibid., 611.
14. Ibid., 612.
15. Ibid., 613.
16. D. Gindes, "Judicial Postponement of Death Recognition: The Tragic Case of Mary O'Connor," American Journal of Law and Medicine 15, no. 2-3 (1989): 301-31;
17. G.J. Annas, "Precatory Prediction and Mindless Mimicry: The Case of Mary O'Connor," Hastings Center Report 18, no. 6 (December 1988): 31-3;
18. Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, 497 U.S. 261 (1990).
19. See, e.g., In re Christopher, 177 Misc.2d 352, 675 N.Y.S.2d 807 (S.Ct., Queens Cty., 1988);
20. In re Beth Israel Medical Center, 136 Misc.2d 931, 519 N.Y.S.2d 511 (S.Ct., N.Y. Cty., 1987) (decided in light of Storar).
21. In re A.B., 196 Misc.2d 940, 768 N.Y.S.2d 256 (Sup. Ct., 2003).
22. See note 4 above.
23. New York State Bar Association and Medical Society of the State of New York, Legal Manual for New York Physicians (New York: New York State Bar Association, 2003), 337.
24. New York State Task Force on Life and the Law, When Others Must Choose: Deciding for Patients Without Capacity (Albany, N.Y.: New York State Task Force: March 1992).
25. When Others Must Choose: Deciding for Patients Without Capacity Ibid., 170-1 and 247-68.
26. J.J. Fins and R.L. Nachman, "Needs of Dying Should be Freed of Red Tape, Albany Times Union (4 April 2004): C1;
27. Gindes, see note 15 above;
28. Annas, see note 15 above.
29. This point was made by several participants in a New York State summit of bioethicists, physicians, lawyers, health policy experts, clergy, and patient advocates, entitled "Bridging the Gap: From Sound Recommendations to Improved Realities," held 29-31 May 2002, in Syracuse, New York.
30. C.E. Schwartz et al., "Early Intervention in Planning End-of-Life Care with Ambulatory Geriatric Patients," Archives of Internal Medicine 162 (2002): 1611-8;
31. Last Acts, Means to a Better End: A Report on Dying in America Today, November 2002, http://www.rwjf.org/files/publications/other/meansbetterend.pdf, p. 9.
32. R.S. Morrison and D.E. Meier, "High Rates of Advance Care Planning in New York City's Elderly Population," Archives of Internal Medicine 164 (2004): 2421-6.
33. Fins and Nachman, see note 22 above.
34. Ibid.