Feeding, withdrawing, and withholding: ethical perspectives.
Ethics questions continue to loom large in the heath care arena, as the paradigm of physician-driven health care shifts to health care team- and patient-driven care. This review describes the types of information and the process clinicians and patients can use to evaluate end-of-life decisions related to the administration of medical nutrition and hydration. The author also touches on the emotions that the clinicians themselves inevitably bring to the decision-making process.
Burck
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Program in Ethics, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
D003657:Decision Making; D004995:Ethics, Professional; D006801:Humans; D018529:Nutritional Support; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D013727:Terminal Care