End Of Life Care Ethical Dilemmas

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#1-Should we try to keep people alive at all costs, no matter what their physical or mental condition? Ethical dilemmas about end-of-life care are not uncommon in the Intensive Care Unit, so I’m told. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that upon arrival to the ICU, the medical team establishes (and carefully documents) the patient’s “code status.” That is, whether they are full code (they want all measures taken to preserve their life), DNR (do not resuscitate with CPR), or DNI (do not intubate using a ventilator to assist breathing). If the patient can communicate and is deemed to have decision making capacity, they inform the ICU team of their code status. If not, the patient’s health care proxy tells us what the patient would…show more content…
Having a dignified end to one’s suffering with the assistance of a physician should be a right for every individual, a point of view I think nearly anyone who has ever watched a loved one die of cancer would agree with. I also agree that a patient’s wishes must be respected and health care proxies should be mandatory for everyone ever seen in a medical facility — think about your own mortality seriously for a few moments, and think logically what you would like done. But… We as rational beings (well, most of us hopefully) are easily swayed and our judgments clouded in times of great emotional stress such as the death of loved one, or as an individual our own imminent death – as such, the wishes of such people cannot be objectively weighed during times of crisis. While death is never pleasant, it’s also a fact of life, and the greater good must be weighed against the individual’s or family’s hopes, wishes and desires. The fact that we can be logically dispassionate about a pet, but not a family member (or ourselves) is understandable, but counter-productive. My health care proxy essentially states that if I can never return to the mental capacity I had before whatever is happening to me happened, then please let me die. I can live with physical ailments/injuries/missing pieces, but when I cease to be me, when my essence is lost, or my ‘me’ can no longer control involuntary activities such as breathing or…show more content…
Yes and yes and more yes. Just an option, of mine. Yes I do believe that no matter race, gender, or religion, everyone deserves a fair chance at success. Whether it’s, applying for school, jobs, etc. I don’t think that these things can affect the way and individual works! I do believe in equal opportunity! #3- Is it right to manipulate people into doing what you want if you believe it is for their own
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