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End of Life Paper

In: Science

Submitted By demeangirlnick
Words 773
Pages 4
Nicole Spates

HLT-305

Magdeline Chornick

2 -11- 2015

Dear Mrs. Johnson ,
During your last visit we discussed the prognosis for your advanced breast cancer diagnosis and the reality that all treatment options have been exhausted. During our discussion your major concern was that you felt your pain is no longer completely controlled and you were only living to die. At that time you expressed a desire to travel to Holland and participate in its physician- assisted suicide program. As your primary care doctor and oncologist for the past fifteen years I am very empathetic and very concerned not only with your physical health but your emotional health and experiences as well. Even though we have exhausted all therapeutic treatment options; I would really like for you consider hospice care here in the United States. Because I truly believe that hospice care can provide comfort and support to you, family, and friends. Hospice care is designed for those who are nearing the end of life. All care services are provided by a team of health care professionals who maximize comfort for a terminally ill patients by reducing pain and addressing physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. To help families, hospice care also provides counseling, respite care and practical support. You are considering traveling to another

country to end your life but if decide to stay here hospice gives you the option to receive this care in your home. In addition to hospice care for your consideration; the Federal Drug Administration has recently approved a new pain medication that wasn’t available before.
This medication is was formulated and strictly marketed to treat pain associated with an illness' such as yours and of magnitude. The drug will be available in two weeks and it will be readily available. I have also investigated the probability of your insurance carriers covering the cost of the drug and with your advanced prognosis and medical history it will be covered at one hundred percent. In my professional opinion physician - assisted suicide programs intentionally facilitate or inflict death and those acts breach a physicians' long-standing ethical norms. I would also like to share with you the 2011 annual report on the Death with Dignity Act in Oregon that shows physicians were present at fewer than 10% of assisted deaths. As your physician with authentic healing concerns I am committed to accompanying you throughout the course of this illness trajectory. As your physician I am binded to give you all the options and information available so you can so you can make an informed decision.You expressed a desire to travel to Holland however ; physician-assisted suicide is legal in four U.S. states. It is an option given to individuals by state law in Washington, Vermont, and Oregon. To qualify for participation patients must be diagnosed with a terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or less to live. The state of Montana it is mandated by court rulings. Those alternatives are available to you here and there is a vast amount of medical research that is very compelling to their effectiveness.

While medicine and scientific studies have concluded that your illness is terminal the decision to voluntarily end your life is being prematurely made. I would like to make and appointment with you and your husband to discuss these alternatives in further depth. Sincerely, Nicole T. Spates M.D.

The model I chose to use was Uustal's Ethical Decision - Making model to relate to the scenario above. This model relates to the scenario because the physician sought to address each of the eight steps to guide his patients decision making process. These models have trained clinical professionals on how to resolve ethical dilemmas morally. Doctors should not be able to end the life of an individual who is suffering with no hope of recovery because Physician-assisted suicide is ethical incompatible with the physician’s role as healer. A living will can be used to guide an individual's end of life decisions by relieving doctors and family the burden of making decisions because your wishes are legally binding. Living wills gives individuals the autonomy to guide their care when they in some way become incapacitated; whether from dementia, coma, or during an emergency intervention. The use of technology complicates the dying process by allowing the human body to thrive with minimal brain activity and vice versa.

References

Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia. (1999). New England Journal of Medicine, 150-153. Retrieved February 9, 2015, from http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199905133401919#t=article

Welch A. David (2001) Decisions, Decisions: The Art of effective decision making

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