Communication: Death and Life
Describe ethical dilemmas that may arise in own area of responsibility when balancing individual rights and duty of care.
Nurses and other medical personnel normally confront ethical dilemmas when caring for terminally ill patients. Correct understanding of the fundamental ethical principles aids the nurses to examine major dilemmas in the delivery of healthcare to the very sick patients or terminally ill patients. Due to a boost in medical knowledge and expertise, so are alternatives for healthcare. These alternatives present intricate moral dilemmas when decisions arise regarding the treatment of dying patients. Majority of the medical personnel are faced with the decisions related to the treatment of dying patients to ease a patient’s final misery. Conceivably, a decision will need to be made about whether to allow a patient to continue living or to end his or her life by terminating treatment when all's said and done. Often, these decisions concerning the care of a dying loved one confront people from all walks of life (Butts and Rich, 2005)
End of life is a concept that is often ignored despite the fact that everyone will die some day. It is because death is a part of life that people are familiar with palliative care given at the end of life. Yet, the end of life concept is generally thought to be something equated with human life. At least, that is what people tend to think of when the phrase "end of life" is uttered. Today, palliative care is offered when someone is dying, and when the end is predictable. Some people die a slow death from issues like cancer or heart disease, but others die abruptly from an accident or heart attack when life ends. In the latter case, the end of life is only known in retrospect. How is the end of life defined? Death is very difficult to define. Yet, doctors have determined some criteria to at least allow someone into a hospice program. Still, the end of life can be looked at philosophically, and examined in regard to a
Nurses and other medical personnel normally confront ethical dilemmas when caring for terminally ill patients. Correct understanding of the fundamental ethical principles aids the nurses to examine major dilemmas in the delivery of healthcare to the very sick patients or terminally ill patients. Due to a boost in medical knowledge and expertise, so are alternatives for healthcare. These alternatives present intricate moral dilemmas when decisions arise regarding the treatment of dying patients. Majority of the medical personnel are faced with the decisions related to the treatment of dying patients to ease a patient’s final misery. Conceivably, a decision will need to be made about whether to allow a patient to continue living or to end his or her life by terminating treatment when all's said and done. Often, these decisions concerning the care of a dying loved one confront people from all walks of life (Butts and Rich, 2005)
End of life is a concept that is often ignored despite the fact that everyone will die some day. It is because death is a part of life that people are familiar with palliative care given at the end of life. Yet, the end of life concept is generally thought to be something equated with human life. At least, that is what people tend to think of when the phrase "end of life" is uttered. Today, palliative care is offered when someone is dying, and when the end is predictable. Some people die a slow death from issues like cancer or heart disease, but others die abruptly from an accident or heart attack when life ends. In the latter case, the end of life is only known in retrospect. How is the end of life defined? Death is very difficult to define. Yet, doctors have determined some criteria to at least allow someone into a hospice program. Still, the end of life can be looked at philosophically, and examined in regard to a