JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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To compare all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates between Hispanic and non-Hispanic groups and estimate the effect of family income, place of birth, and place of residence on these rates. ⋯ These data describe, in a large national cohort study, a lower mortality in Hispanics than in non-Hispanics. This mortality is particularly low after adjustment for differences in family income.
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To describe the characteristics of patients with do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders and the frequency and timing of these orders in a representative sample of intensive care units (ICUs) and to compare practices from 1980 to 1990. ⋯ Over the last decade physicians and patients' families set limits earlier and more frequently in cases likely to have poor outcomes. We attribute this change to a greater dialogue about setting limits to care and a greater knowledge of treatment outcomes among physicians and families. These changes in practice preceded implementation of the Patient Self-determination Act, designed to ensure patient autonomy for decisions about life-sustaining therapy.