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Communicating End of Life Decisions. COMMUNICATING END OF LIFE DECISIONS:
THE IMPORTANCE OF ADVANCE DIRECTIVES A woman lies silent ...
... with the decision-making process, and communicating with the ... what all outcomes would
like to end up but ... decisions and conflicts are an everyday part of life. ...
... that doctors must prolong life, not end it ... quick fix” (Robinson “Introduction” 3).
Pro-life groups also ... 3) capable of making and communicating health care ...
... escape the painful reality that their life is going ... allows terminally-ill Oregonians
to end their lives ... Oregon, capable of making and communicating health care ...
... if you do not believe that you would end your life or another's life should personal ...
persons familiar with the patient's manner of communicating if those ...
Submitted by harleymaster on August 11, 2006
Category: Miscellaneous
Words: 921 | Pages: 4
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COMMUNICATING END OF LIFE DECISIONS:
THE IMPORTANCE OF ADVANCE DIRECTIVES
A woman lies silent on a hospital bed high above the sterile tile floor. She is hooked up to three large, elaborate and expensive machines. Feeding tubes act like veins from her nose to the bags of nutrients she needs to hang on to life. With the finest and most advanced technology at their disposal, how much should the doctors and hospital staff do to keep her alive? Should they perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation if her heart stops? Should they use expensive antibiotics to keep infections at bay? Who decides?
Good advance planning for health care decisions is, in reality, a continuing conversation - about values, priorities, the meaning of one's life, and quality of life. We all have a responsibility to set out our wishes for unforeseen circumstances in health care with the possibility that we may be unable to communicate those wishes should the need arise. The need for advance directives may arise as a result of a traumatic life-threatening accident or illness, leaving those caring for you in a dilemma as to what medical treatment you would wish. If there is no advance directive, your loved ones with your physicians will have to decide what is best. They may find the uncertainty and responsibility overwhelming and distressing. In any event, setting out your wishes will increase your chances of receiving the treatment you want. You should also be aware that in the terminal phase of an illness and in the absence of any advance directive or durable power of attorney, a medical practitioner may be put in the position of carrying out treatment without knowing your wishes.
The recent case of Terri Schiavo has focused the spotlight on the issue of advance directives. Simply stated, advance directives are written instructions that state what medical procedures you want done in case you have a serious illness or accident and are unable to...
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