Peter B. Terry and Karen A. Korzick

About the author: Peter B. Terry is a professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Karen A. Korzick is a fellow in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University.

There is a general consensus that physicians and patients should communicate directly about end-of-life preferences and decisions. However, studies indicate that many physicians do not initiate such discussions or accept the responsibility for doing so. This reluctance by physicians to approach their patients on such matters has been attributed to physicians' ethical and legal concerns regarding euthanasia. In addition, many physicians cite a general lack of knowledge on how to appropriately manage such a delicate and sensitive situation. As a result...