Ethical and legal issues in palliative care.
As palliative care emerges as a respected and important component of contemporary health care, ethical issues will arise that confront and contest the provision of medical care. The basic principles of medical ethics, embodied in beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice, guide primary care physicians in dealing with dying patients. This article will discuss the basic ethical principles and the principle of double effect, decision-making capacity, advance directives, withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining therapy, futility, artificial nutrition and hydration, do-not-resuscitate orders, and physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Rousseau
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Department of Adult Development and Aging, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA. PalliativeDoctor@aol.com
D016223:Advance Directives / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005066:Euthanasia, Passive / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005194:Family Practice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D006801:Humans; D018447:Medical Futility; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010819:Physician's Role; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D016414:Resuscitation Orders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States