Journal of general internal medicine
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To identify primary care patients' and physicians' beliefs, attitudes, preferences, and expectations regarding discussions of end-of-life medical care, and to identify factors limiting the quality and frequency of these discussions. ⋯ Patients prefer end-of-life discussions earlier and with greater honesty than physicians may perceive. These discussions are inseparably linked with the patient-physician relationship. Physicians can better address patients' desires in end-of-life discussions by altering their timing, content, and delivery.