Clinician use of 'worry' statements during surrogate decision making in the hospital.

The conversations came from two hospitals in one region of the United States, so the patterns may not transfer to other settings or clinician groups. Only English-speaking surrogates were included, and the sample was limited to conversations that happened during decision-making talks. The analysis did not capture other conversations about prognosis or treatment that may have occurred during hospitalization. Clinicians and surrogates were not interviewed, so the study cannot confirm why clinicians used the statements or how surrogates interpreted them. The study used conversation analysis, so it describes interaction patterns rather than testing effects on decisions or outcomes. It was not known whether participants had been trained to use 'worry' statements, because such language is part of the Serious Illness Conversation Guide.

Blair Golden reports financial support from the National Institute on Aging. The authors declare no other competing financial interests or personal relationships.

Do not read this as proof that 'worry' statements improve or worsen surrogate decisions. It is a qualitative analysis of 27 conversations, not an outcome study, and it did not test whether the statements changed decisions, distress, or care.