It's National Health Care Decisions Week, so you'll hear a lot of noise about planning for the last days or weeks of your life. I'm straying from the pack and declaring that informed health care decision making is a lifelong pursuit, not something you bring out just on your way out.
Shared decision making is the key to being an informed and health literate patient, and that applies to preventive, routine, emergency, and--yes, of course--end-of-life care. My op-ed in the Des Moines Register says it all: Iowa View on Health Care Decision Making.