An end-of-life expert says doctors have a preferred way to die that is vastly different from the way they treat patients who are about to die.
Chris Palmer – an author, speaker and filmmaker who ‘dedicates his life’ to studying death – explained in his new book, entitled Achieving a Good Death: A Practical Guide to the End of Lifethat he noted that many medical professionals take a similar approach when close to death.
He argued that most doctors do not do everything they can to keep people alive as long as possible, as they are trained to do for others, but rather avoid “harsh treatments” so they can die a “softer” death.
He found that they often pass on things like “surgery, radiation or chemotherapy” as they near the end of their lives, despite having “regularly given these to their older patients for years.”
“Doctors often see dying patients and know better than most people what a good death entails,” he noted.
An end-of-life expert claims doctors have a preferred way to die – and it’s very different from the way they treat patients who are about to die.
‘[That’s why] “What doctors want to do at the end of life is very telling.”
Chris claimed that “most doctors value the quality of their lives” over the “length” of their lives, and do not want to suffer the negative side effects that come with life-saving treatments.
“Chemotherapy for older patients, for example, can be incredibly taxing and stressful,” he wrote.
“It can cause nausea, vomiting, depression, mouth ulcers, aching muscles and brain fog. It can also weaken the heart and damage the kidneys. Chemo can make a person’s last days unbearably painful.
‘[Doctors] avoid the heavy treatments (such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy) that they regularly give their older patients.
‘Normally they stop treatment, refuse resuscitation, take painkillers and are surrounded by their loved ones at home.
‘They undergo less aggressive interventions, suffer less, and use palliative care, including hospice care.
“What’s remarkable about doctors is not so much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little.”
He claimed that instead of doing everything they can to stay alive as long as possible, as they are trained to do for others, most doctors ‘avoid harsh treatments’
Chris pointed to a 2014 study from Stanford University that found that “nearly nine out of 10 physicians said they would choose a do-not-resuscitate (DNS) status upon death.”
“But often doctors don’t offer their patients that option,” he added.
Chris is an author, speaker and filmmaker who ‘dedicates his life’ to studying death
Dr. Sunita Puri, program director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at the UMass Chan School of Medicine, agreed.
“Most of the doctors I knew saw the irony in the fact that we were offering patients intubations, resuscitation, tracheostomies, dialysis, and so on, when many of us in our circumstances would not choose such interventions,” she told him.
Chris ultimately said he believed doctors should make dying patients “better informed” about their treatment options and be fully transparent about both the pros and cons.
“Doctors know things that patients may not know but should be told,” he said.
‘After all, it comes down to doctors having better knowledge of what happens at the end of life, which enables them to make better decisions.’
He suggested that doctors show their patients videos of what would happen to them so that they would be aware.
“Perhaps patients would think twice about going on a ventilator or having feeding tubes if they faced the reality,” Chris added.