Appropriate Use of Artificial Nutrition and Hydration — Fundamental Principles and Recommendations

Recent events — including the Terri Schiavo case —have involved public questioning of the commonly held belief that decisions about artificial nutrition and hydration should be made in the same way in which decisions about other treatments are made. This article reviews the principles that have guided decisions about the use of artificial nutrition and hydration over the past 20 years. The authors outline their own recommendations for improving decision making about artificial nutrition and hydration.