[Comment] Treatment intensity at end of life—time to act on the evidence
Source: The Lancet
Current health-care spending in the USA is unsustainable. Advances in expensive medical technologies and ageing of the population have resulted in soaring health-care costs. Medicare expenses in the last year of life are on average five times greater than non-terminal years, and vary substantially across geographical regions. Despite high costs, the quality of care at the end of life is often poor: many patients suffer with pain and other symptoms, and some receive treatments inconsistent with their preferences and goals.