Communication and Bioethics at the End of Life: Real Cases, Real Dilemmas

Description

This casebook provides a set of cases that reveal the current complexity of medical decision-making, ethical reasoning, and communication at the end of life for hospitalized patients and those who care for and about them. End-of-life issues are a controversial part of medical practice and of everyday life. Working through these cases illuminates both the practical and philosophical challenges presented by the moral problems that surface in contemporary end-of-life care. Each case involved real people, with varying goals and constraints,who tried to make the best decisions possible under demanding conditions. Though there were no easy solutions, nor ones that satisfied all stakeholders, there are important lessons to be learned about the ways end-of-life care can continue to improve. This advanced casebook is a must-read for medical and nursing students, students in the allied health professions, health communication scholars, bioethicists, those studying hospital and public administration, as well as for practicing physicians and educators. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxii Front Matter ....Pages 1-2 Case 1—Does the Nearness of Death Diminish the Value of a Life? (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 3-12 Case 2—When Cultures Collide and a Newborn Almost Dies (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 13-22 Case 3—When the Family Won’t Decide (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 23-32 Case 4—Aggressive Treatment for a Child’s Inoperable Tumor (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 33-43 Case 5—Is There Life After Death? A Case of Post-mortem Sperm Retrieval (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 45-54 Front Matter ....Pages 55-56 Case 6—What Is the Standard of Care for a Corpse? (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 57-65 Case 7—When the Palliative Care Team Got Fired (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 67-78 Case 8—A Young Woman’s Wish to Die (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 79-88 Case 9—When Parents Contest an Adult Child’s Advance Directive (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 89-98 Case 10—Please Stop Torturing Me! (Unless My Wife Is in the Room) (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 99-108 Case 11—Who Should Make Treatment Decisions for a Battered Spouse? (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 109-118 Front Matter ....Pages 119-120 Case 12—Something More Important Than Life (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 121-131 Case 13—Are There Limits on Futile Care for Patients in the U.S. Illegally? (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 133-144 Case 14—To Treat…or Not to Treat? (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 145-153 Case 15—A Patient’s Right to Treatment (and a Surgeon’s Right to Refuse) (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 155-167 Case 16—A Depressed Caregiver Neglects His Own Health (Lori A. Roscoe, David P. Schenck)....Pages 169-180 Back Matter ....Pages 181-199