South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care
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S Afr Fam Pract (2004) · Aug 2020
EditorialCOVID-19 with social distancing, isolation, quarantine and cooperation, collaboration, coordination of care but with disproportionate impacts.
No abstract available.
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S Afr Fam Pract (2004) · Aug 2020
Case ReportsEnd-of-life decision-making capacity in an elderly patient with schizophrenia and terminal cancer.
Medical practitioners are confronted daily with decisions about patients' capacity to consent to interventions. To address some of the pertinent issues with these assessments, the end-of-life decision-making capacity of a 72-year-old female with treatment-resistant schizophrenia and terminal cancer is discussed, as are the role of the treating clinician and the importance of health-related values. There is a recommendation that the focus of these assessments can rather be on practical outcomes, especially when capacity issues arise. ⋯ More research about palliative care and advance care planning for people with SMI is needed. This is even more urgent in light of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and South African health services should consider recommendations that advanced care planning should be routinely implemented. These recommendations should not only focus on the general population and should include patients with SMI.