'Dying is not as bad as you think' - BBC Ideas

To treat or not to treat: find out what really matters to the patient “What do you want?” “Whatever you say, doctor.” “It would be helpful for me to know about your goals in life.” “Goals?” He is nonplussed. Climate change will displace millions Wildfires tearing across Southern California have forced thousands of residents to evacuate from their homes. Even more people fled ahead of the hurricanes that slammed into Texas and Florida earlier this year, jamming highways and filling hotels. A viral social media post showed a flight-radar picture of people trying to escape Florida and posed a provocative question: What if the adjoining states were countries and didn’t grant escaping migrants refuge?

For Years, Anita Hill Was A 'Canary In The Coal Mine' For Women Speaking Out Anita Hill testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 11, 1991, regarding Clarence Thomas' confirmation to the Supreme Court. AP hide caption toggle caption Anita Hill testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 11, 1991, regarding Clarence Thomas' confirmation to the Supreme Court. Stories about sexual harassment in the workplace have dominated the news cycle this fall, but New Yorker journalist Jane Mayer remembers a time not that long ago when even the term "sexual harassment" felt new.

Assessment of Self-reported Prognostic Expectations of People Undergoing Dialysis: United States Renal Data System Study of Treatment Preferences (USTATE) Key Points Question What are the prognostic expectations of people undergoing dialysis, and how do these relate to their treatment goals and preferences? Findings In this cross-sectional survey study of 996 patients receiving maintenance dialysis at nonprofit facilities in 2 US metropolitan areas, most of the respondents were either uncertain about prognosis or had a prognostic expectation of more than 10 years. In adjusted analyses, these groups were less likely than those with a prognostic expectation of fewer than 5 years to report having documented their treatment preferences and to value comfort over life extension, and more likely to want cardiopulmonary resuscitation and mechanical ventilation.

Refusing to act on climate change will cost future generations $530 trillion (at least) - Techly By continuing to delay significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, we risk handing young people alive today a bill of up to US$535 trillion. This would be the cost of the “negative emissions” technologies required to remove CO₂ from the air in order to avoid dangerous climate change. These are the main findings of new research published in Earth System Dynamics, conducted by an international team led by US climate scientist James Hansen, previously the director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. The Paris Agreement in 2015 saw the international community agree to limit warming to within 2°C.

Macron condemned the rise of nationalism in front of Trump and Putin, warning that 'old demons are reawakening' PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron used an address to world leaders gathered in Paris for Armistice commemorations on Sunday to send a stern message about the dangers of nationalism, calling it a betrayal of moral values. With US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin sitting just a few feet away listening to the speech via translation earpieces, Macron denounced those who evoke nationalist sentiment to disadvantage others. "Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism: nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism," Macron said in a 20-minute address delivered from under the Arc de Triomphe to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One. "By pursuing our own interests first, with no regard to others', we erase the very thing that a nation holds most precious, that which gives it life and makes it great: its moral values." There was no immediate response from either the White House or the Kremlin to Macron's comments.

Admitting Elderly Patients to the Intensive Care Unit—Is it the Right Decision? One of the most important decisions that a physician makes is whether to admit a patient to the intensive care unit (ICU). The modern ICU provides a capacity for advanced monitoring and life support that is typically unavailable elsewhere in the hospital and is lifesaving for patients with a wide array of acute deteriorations in health. However, ICU care is also one of the most expensive, intensive, and intrusive endeavors in health care. Although patients admitted to the ICU account for approximately one-quarter of hospitalized patients, they account for half of total hospital expenditures in the United States, with costs estimated at $110 to $260 billion per year or approximately 1% of the gross domestic product.1-3 Furthermore, ICU care can be unnecessary, harmful, or futile. Importantly, the provision of ICU services is increasing.

Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature' The world’s insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”, according to the first global scientific review. More than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered, the analysis found. The rate of extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles. The total mass of insects is falling by a precipitous 2.5% a year, according to the best data available, suggesting they could vanish within a century. The planet is at the start of a sixth mass extinction in its history, with huge losses already reported in larger animals that are easier to study. But insects are by far the most varied and abundant animals, outweighing humanity by 17 times.

'A torrent of ghastly revelations': what military service taught me about America My first and only war tour took place in Afghanistan in 2010. I was a US Marine lieutenant then, a signals intelligence officer tasked with leading a platoon-size element of 80 to 90 men, spread across an area of operations the size of my home state of Connecticut, in the interception and exploitation of enemy communications. That was the official job description, anyway. The year-long reality consisted of a tangle of rearguard management and frontline supervision. jamanetwork Key Points Question Is care for older adults with multiple chronic conditions that is aligned with their health priorities associated with improved patient-reported outcomes and reduced unwanted care? Findings This nonrandomized clinical trial of 366 adults 65 years or older with multiple chronic conditions found that, although there was no difference in perception of whether their care was goal-directed or coordinated, participants receiving patient priorities care vs usual care reported a greater reduction in treatment burden, and their health records reflected more medications stopped and fewer self-management tasks and diagnostic tests added. Meaning This study’s findings suggest that aligning care with patients’ priorities may improve outcomes for patients with multiple chronic conditions.

People who think their opinions are superior to others are most prone to overestimating their relevant knowledge and ignoring chances to learn more By guest blogger Tom Stafford We all know someone who is convinced their opinion is better than everyone else’s on a topic – perhaps, even, that it is the only correct opinion to have. Maybe, on some topics, you are that person. No psychologist would be surprised that people who are convinced their beliefs are superior think they are better informed than others, but this fact leads to a follow on question: are people actually better informed on the topics for which they are convinced their opinion is superior? This is what Michael Hall and Kaitlin Raimi set out to check in a series of experiments in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.