Terminally Informed Consent Case Study

The documentary, A Death of One’s Own, explores the end of life complexities that many terminal disease patients have to undergo in deciding on dying and dignity. It features three patients, their families, and caregivers debating the issue of physician-assisted suicide or pain relief than may speed up death. One character, Jim Witcher has ALS and knows the kind of death he is facing and wants to control its timing. Kitty Rayl is suffering from terminal cancer and wants to take advantage of her state’s Death with Dignity Act and take medication to terminate her life. Ricky Tackett, on the other hand, has liver failure and together with his family and caregiver agrees on terminal sedation to relieve his delirium and pain.

Principlism is an ethical theory applied particularly in relation to bioethics, divided in four prima facie: respect for autonomy, non maleficence, beneficence and justice. Respect for autonomy results in freedom to make choices without external control which is expected to be both accepted in binding in others (McLean, 2009). In this essay i am going to discuss the person’s autonomy and the role of the health care professional regarding the implementation of an advanced care directive including the features of a valid consent and how that relates to an advanced care directive, the importance of respecting a patients choices and the exceptions to this, when paternalism is ethically justified. These concepts will all be analysed from the perspective

Threatening to diminish the value of life is very dangerous. Euthanasia, also called mercy killing, is the practice of doctors intentionally ending a terminally ill patient’s life in what is purportedly a gentle and dignified manner. The term originated in ancient Greek and means “easy death.” Doctors perform euthanasia by administering lethal drugs or by withholding treatment that would prolong the patient’s life. Physician-assisted suicide is also a form of euthanasia, but the difference between the two methods is that in euthanasia, doctors end the patient’s life with lethal injections, whereas, in physician-assisted suicide, patients kill themselves with a lethal amount of drugs prescribed by the doctors. Physicians practiced euthanasia

When it comes to medical necessity can often refers to the determination that is made for the insurance purposes. For example, If the patient has a condition that is chronic or terminal, the treatment could be considered medically necessary whether then the patient can afford the treatment or not.

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” details the injustice and hardships that an African American woman endured when skin color determined the value of a person/during a time dominated by racial segregation/when racial segregation was the law of the land. Born in Roanoke, Virginia, on August 1, 1920, Henrietta Lacks was forced to follow to racial segregation laws that prohibited Blacks from interacting with Whites in such public places as bathrooms, seating areas, colleges, and hospitals. Like all African Americans, she was treated as an inferior member of society due to her skin color. At the age of thirty, Mrs. Lacks had developed cervical cancer and went to Johns Hopkins Hospital, which only treated Blacks at the time.

patient does not consent, for whatever reason, then it is both illegal and unethical to follow

Death is a natural process that will be experienced by everyone at some point, desirably at the end of a long, well lived life. The reality is that no one knows when that time will come or how it will happen. Unfortunately, for the terminally ill, death is in the near future and it is a sobering reality. Therefore, when that time comes, people need to know that they will have options, and the assurance that death does not have to be an agonizing end. They can choose to endure the annihilating pain that comes with the disease and allow it to take its natural course or choose to put an end to it, surrounded by those who love them. For the terminally ill the decision of ending their lives with compassion should be a fundamental right, a personal

(See Surrogate Decision-Making/No Legal Next of Kin.) A lack of decision- making capacity with inadequate time to find an appropriate proxy without harming the patient, such as a life-threatening emergency where the patient is not conscious. When the patient has waived consent. When a competent patient designates a trusted loved-one to make treatment decisions for him or her. In some cultures, family members make treatment decisions on behalf of their loved-ones. Provided the patient consents to this arrangement and is assured that any questions about his/her medical care will be answered, the physician may seek consent from a family member in lieu of the patient.”

First, patients have the right to choose what kind of treatment they get, and whether to get treatment or not. Because they have the right to die with dignity and in a humane way. They will get prolonged pain if they don’t die.

There are many different policies, legislations and reports that affected the practice of the ambulance crew, specifically the paramedic and student paramedic.

Futility is an ancient term that was used by Hippocrates stating that physicians should “refused treatment for those who are overcome by the disease.” (Kasman, 2004). Physicians are not obligated to continue medical treatment that they deem ineffective or harmful to their patients (Kasman, 2004). Physicians must use their clinical judgment when deciding if treatments are futile. They need to clarify to family and patients between treatments that are ineffective and still provide care that benefits the patients (Kasman, 2004). The physician just doesn’t say no to treatment that they perceive futile but discuss alternatives. The patient and the family still need to be fully informed about the treatments that is considered nonbeneficial and the

Most people would never contemplate whether or not to end their family pet’s suffering, so why can’t people be as sympathetic to their family and friends? In today’s society, the legalization of physician-assisted suicide is one of the most debatable topics. The debates on physician-assisted suicide go back and forth between whether or not patients, specifically terminally ill patients, should have the right to die with the aid of doctors. Opponents believe physician-assisted suicide is morally and ethically wrong for patients to end their lives, and they believe it violates basic medical standards. However, proponents of physician-assisted suicide believe it is a humane and safe way for terminally ill patients to resolve their agony. After researching both sides of the argument, it is clear that the benefits of physician-assisted suicide outweigh the disadvantages. The benefits of ending a patient’s pain and suffering, minimizing the emotional and financial effects on families, and preserving the right for patients to decide their own fate, supports the legalization of physician-assisted suicide.

It is very clear to most that Grey’s Anatomy is an inaccurate depiction of medicine and the healthcare industry. Though heavily dramatized and ‘doctored’, there have been moments of learning, especially with this ethical issue. In episode 18 of season 6 (Suicide is Painless), Dr. Altman, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is faced with a situation where her patient, Kim Allen, wishes to end her life through physician-assisted suicide. Kim is a newly married patient with stage IV large cell lung cancer that has spread to her lymph nodes and liver. Her only option remaining is palliative care and she has been given 6 months to live and will soon have to be intubated due to breathing difficulties. Kim says it is time, has requested dying with dignity twice and has been viewed as mentally fit. The viewer walks through the plethora of struggles and emotions that Dr. Altman is faced with as she succumbs to a decision, her husband as he accepts his wife’s decision, and Kim as she elects physician-assisted suicide. In this case, and many others worldwide, physician assisted suicide is morally permissible at all ages for anyone with a terminal illness with a prognosis of 6 months. This is supported by act based utilitarianism and the idea of maximizing pleasure and reducing pain and suffering on an individual circumstance. By allowing a terminal patient to die a less painful death, in control of the situation, and with dignity, the patient will have amplified

Lydia is a 45-year-old woman, who has been paralyzed for over six months due to a car accident. Since then, she can only communicate through nodding her head, and also has been on a ventilator for respiratory assistance and receiving tube feedings at Little Falls Hospital. Moreover, she was diagnosed and treated successfully for breast cancer before the accident. The medical staffs are uncertain as to whether she can understand what is going on to make any decisions about her life. An advance directive has been located however, a copy could not be found. Her physician, Dr. Pritchard, who has been taking care of her for the past 3 months, is not so optimistic about her recovery as her level of functioning was not improving significantly. Mr. Bevins, as her husband and her legal guardian believes that she would not want to live in those conditions. However, Lydia’s mother, Mrs. Redfield does not support his decisions and believes that her daughter should get a chance to recover and get better. Should the life sustaining support be withdrawn?

The word “euthanize” means to bring about a person’s death to relieve them from serious distress. The topic of euthanasia in medicine has evolved since intensive care was first instituted. Before the 1950’s, a simple model was used to determine when someone was dead: the individual was dead when his or her heart stopped beating. In the modern light, the answer to this question isn’t as clear. With advancements in organ transplantation and other medical technologies, the stopping of a beating heart is no longer a definite death sentence. This prolonging of life brings about many ethical dilemmas in the field of medicine. One of the issues is patient autonomy. The practice of euthanasia has been established to put the choice back into the hands of the patient. To better understand euthanasia, there are five different types.