Even though death is unavoidable, it is a taboo to talk about it some societies. Either way, everybody has the right to a dignified death. The need for a dignified death leads to the necessity end of life choices. End of Life Choices “is an advance caring planning process that helps us, over the course of our lives, understand, reflect upon and discuss goals, values, and believes for end of life health care” (WAHA, 2012). The Law of End of Life Choices is applicable in the medical field especially to people with terminal illnesses.
Being able to have this choice allows the patient to maintain some control over their devastating situation. People have different opinions and the quality of life is a very personal one. When a health care professional tries to convince a patient to live they are acting as if they are their parent's telling them what to do. Patients usually trust their physicians and what they say can be wrong and persuasive. Physicians do not like to admit when they cannot diagnose something or fix a problem.
Advance directive laws merely give doctors and others immunity if they follow it, the only reliable strategy is to discuss your values and wishes with your healthcare providers ahead of time to make sure they are clear about what you want. Although, a doctor can be held liable in a court of law for not following those orders. There is a limited amount of time in which a patient can make a medical malpractice claim. The statute of limitations for these claims may vary by each state. Life and Death Issues in Healthcare A Review of the Case Study During a scheduled appointment a patient is given the unfortunate diagnosis of colon cancer.
When one withholds the treatment needed for one to survive this is passive euthanasia. This would be keeping respirators away, treatments that are not opposed by the legal system, and procedures. Active euthanasia is purposely bringing death to someone else by certain actions taken (Gorman). In the U.S. individuals have been given the right to make an Advance Directive that gives the person the right as one’s voice when they become unable to make medical decisions. This Directive is assigned to someone they can put trust into so they would be able to know be the persons voice in making decisions (Advance Directives and Medical Power of Attorney).Voluntary euthanasia takes place when a person makes the choice to end one’s life; non-voluntary euthanasia takes place when a person has not asked or consented to death.
I feel most of this could be eliminated through technologies such as electronic health records, e-prescribing and telemedicine. If my facility had the electronic medical record (EMR) continuity of care would have been better. Consulting physicians would have access to pull up all of my medical history from their office and this would enable them to work together to devise a health care plan that would be beneficial to me and my health. This leaving no room for error or duplication of services rendered. E-prescribing would also hold a benefit for my care so that medications would be recognized across the board reducing the risk of medication error or bad results in care
There are three reasons proper chart documentations are important: to avoid lawsuits, keep accurate medical information for patient, and to maintain proper communication from one professional to another. Avoiding Malpractice Suits People sue for a lot of reasons today, and one of them just happens to be improper charting that causes errors. Attorneys on the plaintiff side gather every chart and record that was made during the time in question. The proper chart documentation can either be the nail in the coffin for a case, or the factor that decides wrong doing and monetary compensation. It is imperative that documentation is done thoroughly and properly every time data is recorded.
Other physicians who argue that placebos are unethical do not disagree they can help, but believe the patient should know what they are receiving. This debate over placebos will continue until there are laws forbidding the use of placebos without the patients consent. This is specifically why all countries need to act on making these laws. Making laws that pertain to the use of placebos will not only stop unethical use but also increase trust in physician-patient relationships and provide more means of safety for the patients. One of the biggest issues with physicians prescribing placebos is they are doing so without even telling their patients what it is.
Even though many of these elderly patient’s have Living Wills in place, the dilemma at times is that the family is not quite ready to let go. The patient’s wish’s regarding what they would choose if faced with a terminal illness with no hope of recovery should take precedence over anything else, but this is not always the case. As healthcare workers, we are often faced with this dilemma, dealing with families not willing to let go, even though it is obvious that the patient is suffering and there is no chance of recovery. Is allowing the patient a “good death” what is morally right? Or, is honoring the family’s wishes to keep that patient alive at all cost morally acceptable?
It is important to make sure that your loved ones know what your intentions are about organ and tissue donation now instead of waiting for an untimely event to take place and no longer having the opportunity of sharing your wishes. The process taken in becoming an organ donor is not very difficult. You can register to become a donor online, you can select to be a donor when get or renew your driver’s license, and you can also sign a living will. It is important to not wait on making this decision or sharing it with your loved ones. Your loved ones might not know what your wishes are and if they are put in a position to have to make the decision for you, they might decline the option for organ and tissue donation.
Under federal and some state laws medical facilities need consent from patients or, in the event of incompetency of the patient, informed consent of the legal surrogate. The Supreme Court has not dealt with “quality of life issues” and appears to only condone active or passive “euthanasia” (not legally defined) when there is evidence that consent has been obtained from the competent patient or legal surrogate of an incompetent patient.There are many pros and cons to euthanasia and I feel that the pros outweigh the cons. The most debated are the moral, ethical, and rights issues. Some of these pros and cons argued are the right of a competent, terminally ill person to avoid excruciating pain and embrace a