Most Physicians Do Not Know their Surrogate Decision Law
Amber Comer and colleagues found some not surprising, but still alarming, data on "Physician Understanding and Application of Surrogate Decision-Making Laws in Clinical Practice" in AJOB Empirical Bioethics.
On the one hand, it seems dangerous to have "cowboy" physicians doing whatever they want despite the law. On the other hand, it is comforting to know that physicians are not constrained by the peculiar limits and conditions in many surrogate decision laws.
Knowing the law and pushing against the boundaries is one thing. Not knowing the law or substituting what your org policy is for 'the law' is another thing altogether. I find this sad, but not surprising.
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