Journal of general internal medicine
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To determine changes in the use of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders and mortality rates following a DNR order after the Patient Self-determination Act (PSDA) was implemented in December 1991. ⋯ Overall use of DNR orders changed relatively little after passage of the PSDA, because the increase in the use of early DNR orders between 1991 and 1992 was counteracted by decreasing use of late DNR orders. Risk-adjusted mortality rates after a DNR order generally remained stable, suggesting that there were no dramatic changes in quality of care or aggressiveness of care for patients with DNR orders. However, the increasing mortality for stroke patients warrants further examination.
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To determine physicians' rating of the importance of key facts men ought to know about prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and whether there are differences by specialty. ⋯ Despite professional guidelines supporting informed decision making, the importance of facts men ought to know about PSA testing differ by physician specialty. Systematic differences may reflect differences in professional guidelines about PSA testing.