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Futile Medical Care
Futile medical care is the continued provision of medical care or treatment to a patient when there is no reasonable hope of a cure or benefit. Some proponents of evidence-based medicine suggest discontinuing the use of any treatment that has not been shown to provide a measurable benefit. Futile care discontinuation is distinct from euthanasia because euthanasia involves active intervention to end life, while withholding futile medical care does not encourage or hasten the natural onset of death. Definition Many controversies surrounding the concept of futile care center around how futility is assessed differently in specific situations rather than on arguments in favor of providing futile care ''per se''. It is difficult to determine when a particular course of action may fall under the definition of futile medical care because it is difficult to define the point at which there is no further benefit to intervention (varying from case to case). For instance, a cancer patient ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evidence-based Medicine
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. It means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research." The aim of EBM is to integrate the experience of the clinician, the values of the patient, and the best available scientific information to guide decision-making about clinical management. The term was originally used to describe an approach to teaching the practice of medicine and improving decisions by individual physicians about individual patients. The EBM Pyramid is a tool that helps in visualizing the hierarchy of evidence in medicine, from least authoritative, like expert opinions, to most authoritative, like systematic reviews. Adoption of evidence-based medicine is necessary in a human Rights-based approach to development, rights-based approach to public health and a precondition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baby K
Stephanie Keene (October 13, 1992 – April 5, 1995), better known by the pseudonym Baby K, was an anencephalic baby who became the center of a major American court case and a debate among bioethicists. History Prenatal assessment Stephanie Keene was born at Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia, a hospital in the Washington metropolitan area. At the time of her birth, she was missing most of her brain, including the cortex; only the brainstem, the portion of the brain responsible for autonomic and regulatory functions, such as the control of respiration, the heartbeat and blood pressure, had developed. Opposing viewpoints Keene's mother had been notified of her condition following ultrasonography, and was advised to terminate the pregnancy by her obstetrician and neonatologist but chose to carry the child to term because of "a firm Christian faith that all life should be protected". The hospital believed that care provided to the baby would be futile, while the moth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slow Code
Slow code refers to the practice in a hospital or other medical centre to purposely respond slowly or incompletely to a patient in cardiac arrest, particularly in situations for which cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is thought to be of no medical benefit by the medical staff. The related term show code refers to the practice of a medical response that is medically futile, but is attempted for the benefit of the patient's family and loved ones. However, the terms are often used interchangeably. The practices are banned in some jurisdictions. Background During a patient cardiac arrest in a hospital or other medical facility, staff may be notified via a code blue alert. A medical response team, based on the institution's practices and policies, attends to the emergency. The team will perform life saving measures, including CPR, in order to re-establish both cardiac and pulmonary function. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation may be withheld in some circumstances. One is if the patient ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hospice
Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by reducing pain and suffering. Hospice care provides an alternative to therapies focused on life-prolonging measures that may be arduous, likely to cause more symptoms, or are not aligned with a person's goals. Hospice care in the United States is largely defined by the practices of the Medicare system and other health insurance providers, which cover inpatient or at-home hospice care for patients with terminal diseases who are estimated to live six months or less. Hospice care under the Medicare Hospice Benefit requires documentation from two physicians estimating a person has less than six months to live if the disease follows its usual course. Hospice benefits include access to a multidisciplinary treatment team specialized in end-of-l ... [...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] |
Texas Futile Care Law
The Texas Advance Directives Act (1999), also known as the Texas Futile Care Law, describes certain provisions that are now Chapter 166 of the Texas Health and Safety Code. Controversy over these provisions mainly centers on Section 166.046, Subsection (e), which allows a health care facility to discontinue life-sustaining treatment ten days after giving written notice if the continuation of life-sustaining treatment is considered futile care by the treating medical team. Although it is often said that the act is officially named the 'Futile Care Law' or the 'Futile Care Act', the statute has never legally had that title. The statute For the hospital personnel to take advantage of legal immunity from prosecution for this the following process must be followed: * The family must be given written information concerning hospital policy on the ethics consultation process. * The family must be given 48 hours' notice and be invited to participate in the ethics consultation process. Fa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Advance Directive
An advance healthcare directive, also known as living will, personal directive, advance directive, medical directive or advance decision, is a document in which a person specifies what actions should be taken for their health if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves because of illness or incapacity. In the U.S. it has a legal status in itself, whereas in some countries it is legally persuasive without being a legal document. A living will is one form of advance directive, leaving instructions for treatment. Another form is a specific type of power of attorney or health care proxy, in which the person authorizes someone (an agent) to make decisions on their behalf when they are incapacitated. People are often encouraged to complete both documents to provide comprehensive guidance regarding their care, although they may be combined into a single form. An example of combination documents includes the Five Wishes in the United States. The term ''living will'' is al ... [...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] |
Notary
A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is distinct from an advocate in that they do not represent the person who engages their services, or act in contentious matters. Overview Documents are notarized to deter fraud and to ensure they are properly executed. An impartial witness (the notary) identifies signers to screen out impostors and to make sure they have entered into agreements knowingly and willingly. Loan documents including Deed, deeds, Affidavit, affidavits, Contract, contracts, and Power of attorney, powers of attorney are very common documents needing notarization. Code of Hammurabi#Laws, Code of Hammurabi Law 122 (c. 1755–1750 BCE) stipulated that a Deposit account, depositor of gold, silver, or other Personal property, chattel/movable property for Safe, safekeeping mus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commodity
In economics, a commodity is an economic goods, good, usually a resource, that specifically has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the Market (economics), market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who Production (economics), produced them. The price of a commodity good is typically determined as a function of its market as a whole: well-established physical commodities have actively traded spot market, spot and derivative (finance), derivative markets. The wide availability of commodities typically leads to smaller profit margins and diminishes the importance of factors (such as brand, brand name) other than price. Most commodities are raw materials, basic resources, agriculture, agricultural, or mining products, such as iron ore, sugar, or grains like rice and wheat. Commodities can also be mass-produced unspecialized products such as chemical substance, chemicals and computer memory. Popular commodities include Petroleum, crude ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euthanasia
Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), select committee on medical ethics defines euthanasia as "a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable suffering". In the Netherlands and Belgium, euthanasia is understood as "termination of life by a doctor at the request of a patient". The Dutch law, however, does not use the term 'euthanasia' but includes the concept under the broader definition of "assisted suicide and termination of life on request". Euthanasia is categorised in different ways, which include Voluntary euthanasia, voluntary, Non-voluntary euthanasia, non-voluntary, and Involuntary euthanasia, involuntary. [...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] |
