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Eugene W. Lariviere, MD
Hitchcock Clinic Bedford, NH

JAMA. 1992;267(1):51.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.

—The article by Dr Brett¹ on the limitations of health values forms is well-stated and thought-provoking. I agree that it is very important that each person state specific goals, such as relief of pain or a peaceful death. Perhaps all such lists should be preceded by a statement that requests a trial of such therapies if the proxy and the physician think it may restore a function important to the patient, such as the ability to communicate or to relieve pain.

The list of specific interventions would be honored only after such a trial fails or when the patient's condition seems hopeless or when there are therapies that violate a patient's known religious beliefs. I disagree that "if proxies or physicians [can] override the patient's... choices... little reason existed to complete a detailed checklist in the first place."¹ If the options chosen by those making . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Footnotes
Edited by Drummond Rennie, MD, Deputy Editor (West), and Bruce B. Dan, MD, Senior Editor.

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