Decision-making in patients with severe dementia and pneumonia: cross-national perspectives.

In this article the authors discusses aspects of a report by researchers Rozzini and colleagues within the issue regarding decision making in Italian elderly patients with severe dementia and pneumonia. They offer brief information on the use of antibiotics in nursing homes in the U.S. and the Netherlands, compared to Italian nursing homes, and what factors influence decisions to use antibiotic treatment for patients with severe dementia and pneumonia in Italy.