Catherine A. Marco, MD and Raquel M. Schears, MD, MPH
Two physicians offer commentaries about how an ED physician should communicate the decision to withhold CPR to the patient's family, especially in light of often unrealistic beneficial outcomes portrayed by medical dramas and the media.
When a dual relationship exists between a physician and a patient, the physician has an obligation to put the patient's health first even at the risk of ending the personal relationship.