Ethical issue in terminal illness

Ethical issue in terminal illness

Introduction

The condition of the patient which can result in his death in a short period of time regardless of treatment is called as terminal illness. In the condition of terminal illness, the secondary care treatment includes the treatment of those changes that are produced in the body irrespective of the medical condition (Karen et al., 2004). In this paper, the challenges of the nurses are discussed which are experienced by them during the care of terminally ill patients. These patients require care and decision making due to their end of life phase.

Furthermore, the role of nurses in providing the terminal illness care is also discussed. Usually the nurses are not included in terminal care and it is the responsibility of the nurses that they should raise their voice against this issue. Core ethical values of advocacy, beneficence and autonomy are used to in the compassionate terminal care and decision making.

Discussion

Background In this paper I have intended to show that the plan to keep a patient on a longer life support in a vegetative state, providing pain medication and invasive procedures for the prolongation of life is morally wrong. I encountered as case related to terminal illness and it created an ethical dilemma. Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disease and it affects the muscles and it makes an individual weak gradually. The disease affects major organs like heart and lungs and in the case of the patient Robbins (name changed to preserve anonymity); he was suffering from chronic respiratory failure and cardiomegaly. Robbins was living in a group home and there he was getting help for the management of his treatment and his daily activities. One evening Robbins felt sick and he went to a nearby hospital where he usually visits in illness, he was treated with shortness of breath and chest pain there. The condition of the patient was not better and he was taken to the intensive care unit of another specialized hospital. The doctors asked the family members of the patient to meet him in the ICU. Robbins was the brother of one of my friend and I went along with my friend to the hospital to meet him. We went straightaway to the intensive care unit to see him. Robbins was not in a good condition, he was on a ventilator support, weak, and was on intravenous feedings and the medications ware also provided to him intravenously.

Palliative care Palliative care is provided to the patients to fulfill the goals of primary healthcare and to provide relief to the patients. The palliative care is an option for the patients who are terminally ill. The care focuses to provide best quality of life to the patient along with comprehensive care. The needs of the patients are social, spiritual, emotional, psychological well being and management of pain and symptoms. Palliative care is akin to hospice care but the hospice care is not for the patients who are suffering from ...