Teaching End-Of-Life Decision-Making "Newlywed Style"

Teaching strategies for topics related to death and dying are often journaling, reflection, and group discussions. This study describes an innovative demonstration in which pairs of students made hypothetical medical decisions using a technique similar to the one used on the American game show, The Newlywed Game. One hundred students at a private mid-Atlantic University participated in a study evaluating the impact of this demonstration on raising students' awareness of issues surrounding medical decision-making and the need to clearly communicate one's desires to others. This active demonstration helps students learn about difficult issues in a meaningful way.