Surgery Late in Life?

Kaiser Health News ran the story, Never Too Late To Operate? Surgery Near End Of Life Is Common, Costly that opens with this startling statistic: “Nearly 1 in 3 Medicare patients undergo an operation in their final year of life.” Several paragraphs into the story the quote is repeated, but with this additional information: “[n]early 1 in 3 Medicare patients undergo an operation in the year before they die, even though the evidence shows that many are more likely to be harmed than to benefit from it.”

So why does this happen? According to the article, there are financial incentives plus we are dealing with a “medical culture” where “patients and doctors are reluctant to talk about how surgical interventions should be prescribed more judiciously…. ”  The article discusses several surveys regarding surgeries in the older population with the benefits and burdens from such surgeries.  As well, there are significant implications for elders undergoing surgery, including longer recovery time and less tolerance with anesthesia.

Thinking through medical treatment options takes time. One tool being developed by “[m]any hospitals and health systems is … “decision aids,” easy-to-understand written materials and videos to help patients make more informed medical decisions, giving them time to develop more realistic expectations.” Another approach discussed in the article is a move away from the use of statistics and instead have the focus on narratives where the “doctors should lay out the best, worst and most likely outcomes.”  If the best cases scenario resulting from the medical intervention isn’t something that the patient finds acceptable, then that’s a big indicator that the patient should not undergo the medical intervention.

Interesting ideas!