Ethical principles should be part of nursing home policy.
Ethically influenced decisions in the long term care setting should not be guided by policy, procedure, dictum. If policies seem indicated, they should provide for the incorporation of ethical principles and the application of medical information on a case-by-case basis, to make it possible to do what is best for the individual patient. Following a long history of accepting paternalistic behavior, our society has now clearly shifted to support the autonomous conduct of the patient, even for those moments when the patient cannot reliably express a preference. This societal change will continue to influence our work in nursing homes.
D000368:Aged; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D004989:Ethics; D004991:Ethics, Institutional; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000592:standards*; D011050:Policy Making; D012297:Right to Die; D014481:United States