End-of-life decisions can be difficult. This doctor thinks ‘nudges’ can help
A critical care physician says "nudges" can help those with serious illnesses make sound decisions at a time of great emotional and physical complexity.
For tax payments, “nudges” have helped municipalities increase revenues and decrease collection-related costs. For energy consumption, “nudges” have helped homeowners save money and utilities preserve capacity.
But in health care, the technique has been slower to catch on.
First described by the pioneering economists Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (who is also a legal scholar), a “nudge” is a way of framing a set of choices to essentially steer people toward a particular option without shutting out other options.
Dr. Scott Halpern, a critical care physician at University of Pennsylvania who studies the ethics and effectiveness
