Table 3.

Percentage of Patients Who Agreed with Consensus Physician Response

Question asked of physicians	Vignette						Mean
	A	B	C	D	E	F	(A–F)
Would you initiate mechanical ventilation?	*	*	*	*	74	84
Would you Withdraw mechanical ventilation?	100	89	74	74	*	*	82
Would you order a feeding tube?	100	89	79	79	58	95	83
Would you perform CPR?	100	79	79	68	47	79	75
Would you initiate renal dialysis?	100	84	79	73	68	84	81
Who is the appropriate surrogate?	100	100	100	100	95	100	99
Would you pursue surgery?	*	84	*	*	*	*	--
Would you initiate antibiotics?	*	*	*	*	63	*	--
Patients’ overall agreement w/physicians’ response	100	87	82	79	67	88	84

^*Question not asked for this clinical vignette

Vignettes:

1. Hemorrhagic stroke that will recover, leaving mild physical deficits
2. Traumatic brain hemorrhage with underlying poorly controlled chronic pain
3. Severed C-spine, resulting in lifetime paralysis and mechanical ventilation
4. Coma after head injury, anticipated to wake up, but with long-term mental deficits
5. Renal failure and sepsis with underlying metastatic colon cancer
6. Pneumonia, anorexia, and aggression with underlying Alzheimer’s dementia