Living wills generally are written in ambiguous terms and demand interpretation by providers. Terms like “extraordinary means” and “unnaturally prolonging my life” need to be
The patient should be informed that the best way to prevent disagreements is to communicate with everyone ahead of time to let them know who
You should inform the patient that the best course of action under these circumstances is to write down her wishes and give a copy to
I envision several changes. First, I would propose that strict guidelines be implemented that parallel those I’ve specified in Chapter Seven. Briefly, these would establish
CPR might also seem to lack benefit when your quality of life is so poor that no meaningful survival is expected even if CPR were
CPR might also seem to lack benefit when the patient’s quality of life is so poor that no meaningful survival is expected even if CPR
I would argue that assisted death be considered as an extraordinary act, and that the involvement of hospital social workers, counselors, and even hospice could
If CPR is judged to be medically futile, this means that your physician is under no obligation to provide it. Nevertheless, either you as the
If CPR is judged to be medically futile, this means that you as the physician are under no obligation to provide it. Nevertheless, the patient
As a physician, on the medicine wards you come across patients with “DNR” or “Do-Not-Resuscitate” orders on their chart. You also find yourself in situations
