Elderly patients rarely included in decision to use intensive care

According to a study of 15 emergency departments, patients over age 80 who are admitted to intensive care are often not asked their opinion about admission. "The relationship between physicians and their patients has changed over the last decades and patients' empowerment has led to a greater self autonomy in medical decisions," but apparently not when it comes to moving elderly patients into an intensive care unit, said lead author Dr. Julien Le Guen of Universite Paris Descartes in France. Legally, no medical decision should be made without the patient's consent, Le Guen told Reuters Health by email.