title: Palliative care: good legal defense.
abstract: The perceived risk of legal liability looms large as a major barrier to optimal palliative care among surgeons. Aggressive pain management may cause respiratory depression and death, whereas withdrawal of support may lead to a charge of manslaughter. Citing legal principles and precedents, this article explains why there is legal support for terminal analgesia and sedation, balanced chronic pain management, and effective surgeon-patient communication in the setting of good surgical palliative care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Baystate Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, 759 Chestnut Street, Springfield, MA 01199, USA. francis.lee@bhs.org
authors.forename: K Francis
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000698:Analgesia; D001049:Apnea / Q000139:chemically induced; D003142:Communication; D016292:Procedural Sedation; D013502:General Surgery / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D016365:Liability, Legal; D010146:Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D014481:United States; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence