Table 1

Questions and answers to the case scenario

Question		Answer (proportion answering yes)
1. In the initial management would you perform
simple contrast enema only?	Yes/No	3/23
diagnostic colonoscopy?	Yes/No	14/23
therapeutic colonoscopy?	Yes/No
No intervention		6/23
2. Would you operate or perform further investigations with a view to operating upon this patient?	Yes/No	8/23
3. If peritonitis was evident, would you operate?	Yes/No	7/23
4. If the relatives felt operation should be performed would this change your mind	Yes/No	6/23
5. If the patient had completed an advance directive to withhold treatment, would you comply with this against a relative's wish?	Yes/No	16/23
6. If the level of dementia were different, would you intervene? (the above case is severe)
Mild	Yes/No	17/23
Moderate	Yes/No	13/23
Would you intervene if the patient were 50 to 60 years old?	Yes/No	14/23

7. What would you expect the life expectancy of a person with dementia to be?	Median number of years (range)
	Multi-infarct	Alzheimer's type
Mild	5 (1.5–15)	5.5 (1.5–15)
Moderate	3 (0.6–10)	3.5 (1–10)
Severe	1 (0.5–5)	1.5 (0.5–9)
8. Any other comments?