Withholding or Withdrawing Treatments in Hospice

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1 Withholding or Withdrawing Treatments in Hospice Care By Bayo Adejuwon Liberty University Online NURS 519 Fall 2011, D-02 Submitted to: Dr. Susan Tasker December 14, 2011 Abstract The choice to withhold or withdraw treatments from terminally ill patients have always been a difficult one to make and an ethical one to say the least. Should treatments be withheld or withdrawn from a critically-ill patient at the end of life? Patients and families are faced with the decision to withhold or withdraw treatments. The question most people are asking is whether withholding or withdrawing treatment is killing. Are terminally ill patients being helped to live longer at the expense of their comfort and dignity? Are we denying terminally ill patients chance to live longer or recover fully by not using an artificial means to support life? Answers to questions like these are the subject of this study. The life sustaining treatments applied to patients at the end of life are examined. Examination of elective intubation and mechanical ventilation, dialysis, antibiotic and artificial nutrition and hydration are covered. Factors affecting decision to withhold or withdraw treatments in hospice care are revealed. The necessity to have a spoke person or a surrogate, and the process involved in choosing the person that makes life support decision was visited. The review of benefits, risks and advanced healthcare directives are covered. The role of treatment team including the physicians and nurses, patients and families, and steps to discuss or communicate withholding or withdrawing therapy are explored. Examination of several literatures indicated that withholding or withdrawing treatments may occur when benefits of its continued use outweigh its associated burden (Matzo & Sherman, 2010). Overview The advancement in modern

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