Long-term care facilities should assess residents for capacity to consent to sexual activity and be prepared to accommodate sexual intimacy.

There is evidence that children who are unaware of their life-threatening diagnoses do not experience any less distress and anxiety than those who are told, and in some cases they may actually experience more.

Patients with dementia need social supports and opportunities and acceptance of their disability in order to feel hopeful despite their functional decline.

Research is needed on surrogates’ susceptibility to believing that clinical trials provide individual therapeutic benefit.

A 15-year-old advance directive made when the patient was in much better health and not updated can bring more confusion than clarity to the decision-making process.

A 15-year-old advance directive made when the patient was in much better health and not updated can bring more confusion than clarity to the decision-making process.

Courts considering teenagers' refusal of life-saving treatments often consider their maturity, the beliefs underlying the refusal, their parents' wishes, and the chances that treatment would cure them.

When acting as a surrogate for incapacitated incarcerated patients, physicians may disclose protected health information to a patient’s legal counsel.