In his case presentation, William S. Baek (2016) reports on the “last wish” of a terminal patient who suffered a traumatic brain injury. The consequences of this wish were profound: Treatment was withdrawn, home comfort measures were introduced, and the patient died within 17 hours of leaving the hospital. Yet, after carefully reviewing the case report, I could not find any clear and convincing evidence for the patient’s “last wish.” In this commentary, I reflect on the limitations inherent in determining the “last wish” of the patient and consider what a “best interests” point of view would add to this case presentation. At the very least, a stronger examination of the best interests of the patient would have highlighted the difficulty of identifying that elusive and authoritative “last wish.”
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