Rethinking guidelines for the use of palliative sedation.
Current guidelines treat palliative sedation to unconsciousness as an effective medical treatment for terminally ill patients who need relief from severe symptoms, yet also restrict its use in ways that are extraordinary for medical treatments. A closer look at the kinds of cases in which palliative sedation is used suggests a way of adjusting the guidelines to resolve this seeming contradiction.
Berger
Jeffrey T
JT
Stony Brook University School of Medicine, USA.
D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards*; D054810:Deep Sedation / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D019452:Terminally Ill; D013997:Time Factors