People who have discussed their end-of-life care wishes with family, friends, and physicians before they are in need of such care are much more likely to have taken the next step of filling out an advance directive, according to a study led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

A national analysis of physician office and emergency department records shows that the types of skin infections caused by community-acquired MRSA doubled in the eight-year study period, with the highest rates seen among children and in urban emergency rooms.