Prospective Study of Health Status PREFERENCES and Changes in PREFERENCES Over Time in Older Adults

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Abstract
Patients with diminished states of health rate these states more highly than does the general public,1-3 and patients with cancer are more willing to undergo intensive therapy with a small likelihood of benefit than are physicians or the general public.4,5 These findings suggest that changes in the health status of patients may affect their treatment pREFERENCES as they become more willing to tolerate a diminished state of health.6 Patients' valuations of health states are likely to be associated with treatment pREFERENCES because these pREFERENCES are based largely on the outcome achieved by any given intervention.7-9 Changes in treatment pREFERENCES as a result of changing health have profound implications for instructional forms of advance care planning, which ask patients their pREFERENCES for end-of-life care.