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Dr. Sachs Publishes Editorial in
New England Journal of Medicine
How far does an editorial message by a geriatrician travel? When Greg A. Sachs, MD, wrote about a career-shaping experience as a teenager and added research data that “moves the field forward in major ways,” the world was ready to listen.
The editorial, “Dying from Dementia,” was published in the October 15, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, and was spotted in English and Spanish, on netwo
rk television, on dot com, dot org and dot gov websites, in national newspapers and magazines from Alaska to Florida, Hawaii to Vermont, and from Indiana to Guam to India.
Dr. Sachs’ editorial described the results of the Journal’s original article, “The Clinical Course of Advanced Dementia.” Lead author Susan Mitchell, MD, MPH and colleagues examined mortality among patients with advanced dementia who resided in nursing homes. More than half the patients died in 6 months. Pneumonia, febrile episodes, and eating problems were frequent harbingers of death.
Based on his personal and professional experiences and the study findings, Dr. Sachs called on clinicians, patients’ families, and nursing home staff to recognize and treat advanced dementia as a terminal illness and suggested that palliative and hospice care could “greatly improve” the care of patients with advanced dementia. He also identified audiences who should read Mitchell’s article – funders such as the NIH who have the opportunity to support comparative effectiveness research that includes palliative care, and policy makers who examine reimbursement issues such as hospice in nursing homes.
Links to the full editorial, original research article and media hits are available on page 3 of the November issue of the IU Geriatrics e-news.
December 18, 2009
