Abstract
The physician rendering care to the elderly is frequently faced with ethical issues that interface with clinical decision making. The prevalence of these issues has been enhanced by the demographic changes and therapeutic advances of the past decades and the recent economic pressures toward 'cost effectiveness'. There is already some tendency to use age as a criterion in triage situations. While being properly budget-minded, the physician must not relinquish his role as 'healer' to his patient. The ethical-clinical interface issues in care of the elderly and some suggested approaches include: triage by age; medical or surgical decisions; use of the 'Penultimate Will', right to refuse treatment; passive euthanasia; responsibility to our patients who enter a nursing home; informed consent - patient's choice of therapy and its relationship to age; physician responsibility; excessive surgery; and communicating with older patients about serious problems.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1894-1901 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | New York State Journal of Medicine |
| Volume | 81 |
| Issue number | 13 |
| State | Published - 1981 |
| Externally published | Yes |