Botulinum toxin and medical liability: is the patient sufficiently informed?
Botulinum toxin is a very worthwhile product for numerous abnormalities but has side effects, often brief, at the site of the injection. Therefore it is our duty to inform patients effectively.
Declining consciousness and/or cognitive state are expected when patients are near death. The ability to give even the simplest self-report (yes or no) about dyspnea is lost in the near-death phase of terminal illness, yet the ability to experience distress may persist and may be overlooked and undertreated or overtreated. Other methods for symptom assessment are needed in this context.