|
End-of-life Ethics
End-of-life ethics refers to the moral principles and considerations that guide decisions and actions related to the care of individuals who are terminally ill or approaching the end of their lives. This field of ethics addresses the complex issues that arise when medical, emotional, and personal values intersect, often requiring difficult decisions about life-sustaining treatments, palliative care, and the quality of life. Key principles Autonomy Respect for the patient's right to make decisions about their own care is a cornerstone of end-of-life ethics. This includes the right to accept or refuse treatment, even if those decisions may lead to a hastened death. Advance directives, such as living wills and healthcare proxies, are tools that allow patients to express their preferences in advance, ensuring their wishes are respected even if they become incapacitated. Beneficence The principle of beneficence in medical ethics obligates physicians to act in the best interests o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethics
Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches include normative ethics, applied ethics, and metaethics. Normative ethics aims to find general principles that govern how people should act. Applied ethics examines concrete ethical problems in real-life situations, such as abortion, treatment of animals, and Business ethics, business practices. Metaethics explores the underlying assumptions and concepts of ethics. It asks whether there are objective moral facts, how moral knowledge is possible, and how moral judgments motivate people. Influential normative theories are consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics. According to consequentialists, an act is right if it leads to the best consequences. Deontologists focus on acts themselves, saying that they must adhere to Duty, duties, like t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ventilator
A ventilator is a type of breathing apparatus, a class of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently. Ventilators may be computerized microprocessor-controlled machines, but patients can also be ventilated with a simple, hand-operated bag valve mask. Ventilators are chiefly used in intensive-care medicine, home care, and emergency medicine (as standalone units) and in anesthesiology (as a component of an anesthesia machine). Ventilators are sometimes called "respirators", a term commonly used for them in the 1950s (particularly the "Bird respirator"). However, contemporary medical terminology uses the word "respirator" to refer to a face-mask that protects wearers against hazardous airborne substances. Function In its simplest form, a modern positive pressure ventilator, consists of a compressible air reservoir o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanctity Of Life
In religion and ethics, the sanctity of life, sometimes described as the inviolability of life, is a principle of implied protection regarding aspects of sentient life that are said to be holy, sacred, or otherwise of such value that they are not to be violated. This can be applied to humans, animals or micro-organisms; for instance, in religions that practice Ahimsa, both are seen as holy and worthy of life. Sanctity of life sits at the centre of debate over abortion and euthanasia.eader, in_religion[christianity, judaism, etc. in_law[us, uk, etc. --> In Christianity The phrase ''sanctity of life'' refers to the idea that humans are sacred, holy, and precious. Although the phrase was used primarily in the 19th century in Protestant discourse, since World War II the phrase has been used in Catholic moral theology and, following '' Roe v. Wade'', Evangelical Christian moral rhetoric. The sanctity of life principle, which is often contrasted with the "quality of life" to some e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Right To Die
The right to die is a concept rooted in the belief that individuals have the Self-ownership, autonomy to make fundamental decisions about their own lives, including the choice to Suicide, end them or undergo voluntary euthanasia, central to the broader notion of Health freedom movement, health freedom. This Rights, right is often associated with cases involving Terminal illness, terminal illnesses or incurable pain, where assisted suicide provides an option for individuals to exercise control over their suffering and dignity. The debate surrounding the right to die frequently centers on the question of whether this decision should rest solely with the individual or involve Government, external authorities, highlighting broader tensions between Civil liberties, personal freedom and societal or legal restrictions. Religious views on suicide, Religious views on the matter vary significantly, with some traditions such as Hinduism (''Prayopavesa'') and Jainism (''Santhara'') permitti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Persistent Vegetative State
A vegetative state (VS) or post-coma unresponsiveness (PCU) is a disorder of consciousness in which patients with severe brain damage are in a state of partial arousal rather than true awareness. After four weeks in a vegetative state, the patient is classified as being in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). This diagnosis is classified as a permanent vegetative state some months (three in the US and six in the UK) after a non-traumatic brain injury or one year after a traumatic injury. The term unresponsive wakefulness syndrome may be used alternatively, as "vegetative state" has some negative connotations among the public. It is occasionally also called Apallic syndrome or Apallisches syndrome, Loanword, borrowings from German, primarily in European or older sources. Definition There are several definitions that vary by technical versus layman's usage. There are different legal implications in different countries. Medical definition Per the definition of the British Royal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Do Not Resuscitate
A do-not-resuscitate order (DNR), also known as Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR), Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR), no code or allow natural death, is a medical order, written or oral depending on the jurisdiction, indicating that a person should not receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if that person's heart stops beating. Sometimes these decisions and the relevant documents also encompass decisions around other critical or life-prolonging medical interventions. The legal status and processes surrounding DNR orders vary in different polities. Most commonly, the order is placed by a physician based on a combination of medical judgement and patient involvement. Basis for choice Interviews with 26 DNR patients and 16 full code patients in Toronto, Canada in 2006–2009 suggest that the decision to choose do-not-resuscitate status was based on personal factors including health and lifestyle; relational factors (to family or to society as a whole); ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Assisted Suicide
Assisted suicide, sometimes restricted to the context of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is the process by which a person, with the help of others, takes actions to end their life. Once it is determined that the person's situation qualifies under the laws for that location, the physician's assistance is usually limited to writing a Drug prescription, prescription for a lethal dose of drugs. This practice falls under the concept of the medical right to die, i.e. the right of a person to choose when and how they will die, either through medical aid in dying or refusing life-saving medical treatment. Assisted suicide is legal in some countries under certain circumstances, including Austria, Belgium, Assisted suicide in Canada, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Assisted suicide in the United States, parts of the United States and all six states in Euthanasia in Australia, Australia. The constitutional courts of Colombia, Ecuador, Estoni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Resource Allocation
In economics, resource allocation is the assignment of available resources to various uses. In the context of an entire economy, resources can be allocated by various means, such as markets, or planning. In project management, resource allocation or resource management is the scheduling of activities and the resources required by those activities while taking into consideration both the resource availability and the project time. Economics In economics, the field of public finance deals with three broad areas: macroeconomic stabilization, the distribution of income and wealth, and the allocation of resources. Much of the study of the allocation of resources is devoted to finding the conditions under which particular mechanisms of resource allocation lead to Pareto efficient outcomes, in which no party's situation can be improved without hurting that of another party. Strategic planning In strategic planning, resource allocation is a plan for using available resources, fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Feeding Tube
A feeding tube is a medical device used to provide nutrition to people who cannot obtain nutrition by mouth, are unable to swallow safely, or need nutritional supplementation. The state of being fed by a feeding tube is called gavage, enteral feeding or tube feeding. Placement may be temporary for the treatment of acute conditions or lifelong in the case of chronic disabilities. A variety of feeding tubes are used in medical practice. They are usually made of polyurethane or silicone. The outer diameter of a feeding tube is measured in French units (each French unit equals mm). They are classified by the site of insertion and intended use. Medical uses There are dozens of conditions that may require tube feeding (enteral nutrition) to prevent or treat malnutrition. Conditions that necessitate feeding tubes include prematurity, failure to thrive (or malnutrition), neurologic and neuromuscular disorders, inability to swallow, anatomical and post-surgical malformations ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terminal Sedation
In medicine, specifically in end-of-life care, palliative sedation (also known as terminal sedation, continuous deep sedation, or sedation for intractable distress of a dying patient) is the palliative practice of relieving distress in a terminally ill person in the last hours or days of a dying person's life, usually by means of a continuous intravenous or subcutaneous infusion of a sedative drug, or by means of a specialized catheter designed to provide comfortable and discreet administration of ongoing medications via the rectal route. As of 2013, approximately tens of millions of people a year were unable to resolve their needs of physical, psychological, or spiritual suffering at their time of death. Due to the amount of pain a dying person may face, palliative care is considered important. Proponents claim palliative sedation can provide a more peaceful and ethical solution for such people. Palliative sedation is an option of last resort for the people whose symptoms cannot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palliative Care
Palliative care (from Latin root "to cloak") is an interdisciplinary medical care-giving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating or reducing suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Many definitions of palliative care exist. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes palliative care as:"an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual". Since the 1990s, many palliative care programs involved a disease-specific approach. However, as the field developed throughout the 2000s, the WHO began to take a broader patient-centered approach that suggests that the principles of palliative care should be applied as early as possible to any chronic and ultimatel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fluid Replacement
Fluid replacement or fluid resuscitation is the medical practice of replenishing bodily fluid lost through sweating, bleeding, fluid shifts or other pathologic processes. Fluids can be replaced with oral rehydration therapy (drinking), intravenous therapy, rectally such as with a Murphy drip, or by ''hypodermoclysis'', the direct injection of fluid into the subcutaneous tissue. Fluids administered by the oral and hypodermic routes are absorbed more slowly than those given intravenously. By mouth Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is a simple treatment for dehydration associated with diarrhea, particularly gastroenteritis/gastroenteropathy, such as that caused by cholera or rotavirus. ORT consists of a Solution (chemistry), solution of salt (chemistry), salts and sugars which is taken Route of administration#Enteral, by mouth. For most mild to moderate dehydration in children, the preferable treatment in an emergency department is ORT over intravenous replacement of fluid., which cites ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
