End of life medical issues are a very sensitive subject for doctors, patients, and family members. Some support the patients’ right to terminate their own life. Euthanasia loosely called physician assisted suicide is when one takes deliberate action to end life when faced with persistent suffering and certain death (Medical News Today, 2012).Many feel that patients should not have to suffer unjustly when faced with serious pain and debilitating illness. Often times it is just as difficult for family members to stand by and watch loved ones suffer. As someone that has witnessed both my grandmothers die on hospice care in the last six months, I know that watching someone die can be more painful than losing them all together. With as much compassion as I have for people in pain, I do not believe people have the right to end their lives whenever they chose. I oppose euthanasia and physician assisted suicide (PAS) because I believe that it is a doctor’s duty to keep patients alive, it may create financial and ethical issues when it comes to patients and insurance companies, and God should be the only one who decides when ones journey has been completed.…
As we all know death is not an easy thing to go through nor is dying leading up to death. Prepare Prepare Prepare….. When a family knows that someone is about to die or has died being prepared mentally can help to make the process a little more manageable. Making sure that the person has a last will and testimony and also a trust is also important. By doing this the family as well as the dying person can know that his or her wishes are being followed and everything that they want done will be according to their word. No one want to die or be dying and know that family members will be bickering and arguing over petty things instead of celebrating the wonderful life that they dying person has lived. This is a very sensitive time so knowing how to say goodbye, giving comfort and letting the person know the end is near, making sure the person is as…
Palliative care should support the person to achieve a quality of life until death. The person’s independence should be maintained for as long as possible to promote their self-esteem and they should be treated with dignity and respect at all times. Good communication is essential when providing palliative care. It is important that carers and other team members listen to the person and learn about any concerns, fears or anxieties they may have. Fears people have can include suffering a painful death, dying alone, not getting to say goodbye, leaving the family without a provider and fear of losing their independence. Family members, friends and carers can often feel frustrated if the person refuses treatment and feel helpless when all treatment…
To many, death may seem like a daunting topic, but it is a topic, which affects everyone and should be discussed. Every person deserves to have some autonomy when it comes to end-of-life care decisions. There are ethical and legal disputes that arise because of disagreements between patients, families, and medical professionals. Unfortunately, there is not always a clear right answer to what extent or how something should be done. How to care for a dying individual also presents a plethora of issues, especially for nurses. This is mostly due to lack of support in the work place and community settings for that patient and their family. Analyzing these issues can only aid in more open discussions and the progressive evolution of better care for terminal patients. Ultimately, better care and education can assist these patients in dying with the dignity they rightfully deserve.…
This paper will explore what would entail “A good Death”. I will discuss Pain Control, No Excessive Treatment, Retention Of Decision Making By The Patient, Support For The Dying Patient And His/Her Family And Friends, Communication Among All Parties And Acts Done Out Of Love That Make Dying More Difficult.…
As we discussed in class and also frequently mentioned in Dr. Rachel Remen’s book, is the refusal of doctors to recognize treatment is not always the best option for someone who is dying. There comes a moment in a dying individual’s life when continued treatment may only do more harm than good. Rarely, do medical professionals ask their patients how would they like to live the last moments of their life. For many individuals dying of terminal illness, six weeks of high-quality life is much preferred in comparison to six months of low-mobility degradation. This aspect of our culture prohibits individuals from dying while they are still fully themselves and instead creates a long, protracted, and painful degradation of life and…
1). In order for healthcare to truly advance and provide patient-centered care, it is necessary that our clinicians start to have end-of-life discussions with patients and be willing to provide care aimed at improving quality of life. It should all start with education about death and dying and continue with methods to further improve knowledge on options such as palliative care and the importance of discussing the patient’s…
They suggest that it is often difficult to recognise a dying patient in a hospital setting as the culture is mostly focused on curing the patient instead of actually acknowledging a patient who is dying. Treatments and investigations are usually sought at the expense of the patient receiving a good death. In some cases, there is hesitation in making a diagnoses especially in situations whereby the patient has a chance of improvement. Health care professionals should seek to be truthful as this will consequently build trust between the patient and the health professional. Giving patients false hope may result feelings of disappointment. When recovery is uncertain it is better to discuss this rather than giving false hope to the patient and family. This is generally perceived as a strength in the doctor-patient relationship and helps to build trust. In the case of Mrs. Smith, she was made aware of the potential outcome of her situation before she died. Her family were also made aware; doing this would have…
The effects of an illness can be unbearable for a person who has lived a life full of vitality. When a patient is told that they only have a certain amount of time left to live, can be unsettling to many. Having the right to die should be a choice given to ill patients, to prevent from suffering for long or short periods of time. A person should not have to suffer if they are competent to make the decision to end their life. During the dying process many effects of the illness can take place, causing discomfort to the person. According to a study done…
Gerow et. al (2010) believe further study is needed to determine level of support and education nurses received prior to or after experiencing death of a patient. Further research into grief experiences based on specialty of nursing would be beneficial. The authors suggest that nurses in rural areas may experience greater degree of grief because of personal relationships with patients and families. Gerow et. al. (2010) also recommend studying how past or current experiences of personal loss affect the grieving process of nurses dealing with death of…
Euthanasia contradicts the main reason of being a physician. Doctors are known to be healers not killers and this could cause ethical issues. In Kirk Johnson’s letter on behalf of the American Medical Association (AMA) he addresses how euthanasia would make a negative impact. “The involvement of physicians in euthanasia heightens the significance of its ethical prohibition. The physician who performs euthanasia assumes unique responsibility for the act of ending the patient's life. Euthanasia could also readily be extended to incompetent patients and other vulnerable populations. Instead of engaging in euthanasia, physicians must aggressively respond to the needs of patients at the end of life. Patients should not be abandoned once it is determined that cure is impossible. Patients near the end of life must continue to receive emotional support, comfort care, adequate pain control, respect for patient autonomy, and good communication.” He stated an alternative to the suicide, which was that physicians should get the patient ready for his death and make him feel comfortable rather than just ending his…
Talking about sad, dying and difficult situations with patients and their families is a challenging experience in the healthcare setting however it is a fundamental and inevitable part of clinicians of which few have received sufficient training. Although there are some guidelines that discuss how to communicate difficult situations, less is known about how to handle patients who express resistance and uncertainty to such care. Conversations may be stalled when patients show resistance to talking about the future because they fear dying. Also healthcare professional struggle with how to support the patient’s decisions when they disagree with the patient’s choice. Mary Ann Liebert, in her article, talks about this difficult struggle that may…
Patients will be different and will require different means of accommodation. However, with experience in end of life discussions, there will be a better understanding and open-mindedness to the situation. "Timing of sensitive discussion takes experience, but speaking the truth can be a relief to patients and families, enhancing their autonomy by making way for truly informed consent as the basis for decision making"…
In UK, this is due to the presence of NHS providing everyone comprehensive care free of charge, availability of doctors with specialist statuses, advance in medical technologies and availability of drugs, people often tend to see death as unacceptable and they seem to fight against it till the very end without caring about anything else. In some cases, death is also seen as way in which one can get out of their social and political responsibilities such as having to work, paying for several taxes and services, etc. This lead to the patients to trusting the medical staffs, especially the doctors to an extent that they would act as their priest, to cure their illness treating them as an innocent being; and lawyer, to free them from their normal responsibilities and probably support them with their insurance withdrawal. Due to this, the social life of the dying person also tends into change by having to give up on certain activities or habits that they usually enjoyed doing due to lack of tolerance with their medication or lack of time due to them having to spend more time in therapy and treatments. However, with the open awareness of their death, the dying person was more likely to prioritise and complete their personal responsibilities such as resolving personal conflicts or unfinished business or even spend their last couple…
On the other hand, everyone wants to live for as long as it is possible. Even though, patients are aware of their fatal condition, they don't lose hope for cure. In some cases, it may make them even stronger. If there is a right emotional and spiritual support for both the patient and patient's family, the desire to end life fades away. Sometimes, it is just a matter of right medicine to limit the pain and to make the remaining time more comfortable.…