"It's not just what the doctor tells me:" Factors that influence surrogate decision-makers' perceptions of prognosis.

The article presents a study on the sources of knowledge surrogates rely upon when figuring a patient's prognosis. The study conducted a face-to-face interview with 179 surrogate decision-makers at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. Results indicated that surrogates apply various forms of knowledge when estimating the prognoses of their loved ones, including the patients' individualized attributes unknown to the physicians, which may serve as guidelines for prognosis.