Doctors’ death fears override patients’ expressed end-of-life wishes.

Evidence

Medical students in another study reported how they would treat a patient with severe lung disease brought to the emergency room by his family in respiratory distress. Although the patient was supposedly lucid at the time of admission and was opposed to artificial means to keep him alive, those reminded of their own death were determined to extend his life as long as possible; their treatment preferences were driven by their own existential concerns rather than the patient’s wishes. — Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, The Worm at the Core, 766

Categorization

• SEED: Potential essay angle: how physician mortality anxiety quietly subverts informed consent and patient autonomy in end-of-life care.
• XREF: Relates to the ADDENDUM on sacrifice and end-of-life themes; also connects to proximal vs distal defense material from chapter 9.