title: Moral moments at the end of life.
abstract: Decision making near the end of life can be complex and laden with emotion for families and health care providers. Families and patients can prepare themselves for these difficult moments by thinking ahead about the patient's wishes and preparing clear documents that express those wishes. Health care providers can prepare themselves by being familiar with those documents, considering the goals of treatment, remembering the principles on which health care ethics are founded and knowing decision-making models that will help them to think through treatment plans and the best options for patient taking into consideration the goals of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Center for Ethics in Health Care, Oregon Health & Sciences University, CDW-EM, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97239, USA. schmidtt@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: Terri A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D032722:Advance Care Planning / Q000941:ethics*; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D018447:Medical Futility / Q000941:ethics; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D014481:United States