End of Life Content in Geriatric Textbooks
Author Information
Author(s): Wu Huei Yaw, Malik Farida A, Higginson Irene J
Primary Institution: Tan Tock Seng Hospital, King's College London
Hypothesis
What is the current situation of end-of-life content in popular geriatric textbooks?
Conclusion
Most geriatric textbooks lack good coverage on end-of-life care, indicating a need for improvement.
Supporting Evidence
- The best textbook had 38% helpful information, while the worst had only 15%.
- 61% of content in one textbook contained no helpful information.
- Four out of five textbooks had dedicated chapters on care of the dying.
Takeaway
The study looked at five geriatric textbooks to see how well they teach about caring for elderly patients at the end of their lives, and found that many of them don't do a good job.
Methodology
Five popular geriatric textbooks were reviewed, focusing on chapters related to high-mortality diseases in the elderly, and content was rated for helpfulness.
Potential Biases
Differences in perspectives between reviewers may introduce bias.
Limitations
The subjective nature of the methodology and potential unreliability of domain ratings.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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