The right to die

The right to die

The right to die or what is commonly know as euthanasia has many controversial when it comes to human rights, religion as well as government. The right to die is a challenging topic to understand since this subject holds many stances when making decisions. In this context, many ethical considerations arise, more particularly when family members and the patient make a decision regarding the kind of care they will not accept or accept. Values and morals of nurses become conflicted with what patients or family morals and values. Thus, a nurse should have a clear understanding of ethical considerations when making such decisions and how to handle such a situation. Therefore, this essay will highlight nursing ethical responsibility as well as accountability to aid with patients’ right to die and also moral issues surrounding such decisions decision.

As discussed in many articles and journals, patients’ goals in health care are considered what a patient or the family of the patient values more and also what they expect or hope to gain in regard to the sickness. Patients’ goals are based upon patients’ values and also moral principles. Many challenging or difficult decisions are made when a patient is nearing the end of life. Such decisions may include the kind of treatment that should be administered if the patient is unable to make decisions pertain his or her treatment. in other cases, conflict might occur when a patient’s decision doesn’t concur with the decision of family members. Also, conflict might arise when health care or insurance systems conflict with the patient’s values and moral principles (Lyons, 2016). Therefore, there should be a clear understanding of ethical considerations as well as issues surrounding end life decisions.

Basic concepts and ethical principles

A nurse should have knowledge about standards of care and best practice. Additionally, nurses should also refer to the basic code of ethics in nursing. Standards of care, practices, and code of ethics, therefore, should help a nurse with the expected role and behaviors with his or her profession. Normally, there several ethical codes or principles that help a nurse or a clinician when it comes to a decision about a patient nearing the end of life. Such principles include beneficence, justice, autonomy, and also nonmaleficence (Macauley, 2018). These ethical codes or principles apply for clinicians or nurses by ensuring that patients’ rights are protected as stipulated in the moral of principles.

Difficult decisions

Caring for patients at the end or nearing death always enables nurses or clinicians to part of the difficult and complicated decisions that patients, as well as families, make when surrounding the issue of the right to die. Nurse values, beliefs, and principles sometimes conflict with patients’ beliefs or wishes or values, and in many cases, an intended conflict occurs (Macauley, 2018). However, regardless of what kind of treatment to be administered to a patient, a nurse should focus more on ensuring patients’ safety by weighing the burdens or the benefits associated with the kind of treatment intervention used. The following are some of the responsibilities and accountabilities when a nurse aids a patient nearing the end of life.

Withdrawing or withholding medical interventions

One of the difficult choices or decisions happens when there is a medical cessation in patients. These interventions range from minor like non-life sustaining interventions to a complex intervention like mechanical ventilation. The main reason behind this decision bases its resentment on the fact that the burden or the suffering a patient is undergoing outweighs any benefits a patient can get from such interventions. Sustaining therapies or interventions can prolong patients suffering, and this one of the factor patients’ or family members makes the decision of withholding or withdrawing such treatment interventions (Searight, 2019). Thus, this calls the need for advance directives to enable the patient or family members to make decisions regarding their health care if such a decision is difficult or hard to make, or they are unable to such decisions. Such advanced directives also help reduce the medical bills in case of futile medical treatment or care.

Hastening death

This principle, also referred to as the “double effect” principle, refers to the kind of decision that nurses and clinicians can make and produce both undesirable and desirable effects on the patient. For instance, a nurse or a clinician can administer pain medication with the aim of elevating a patient’s suffering or pain, but also, this intervention can also contribute or lead to hasted death. In this case, the intervention used will definitely reduce a patient’s suffering and pain, but it will also be reducing a patient breathing rate to a certain level that can no longer support a patient’s life (Lyons, 2016). In this case, nurses’ or clinicians responsibility will be accounted towards the intended effect or aim of the medical intervention. That is, whether medical intervention intended to reduce suffering and pain or the medical intervention is intended to reduce patient’s respirations?

conclusion

ethical consideration in nursing helps them to make medical decisions according to what is wrong or right. However, the right to die raises many ethical considerations or issues more specifically when a patient or family members have to make a decision concerning health care services that either accept or deny. In such a case, the morals and values of nurses and also the values and beliefs of the patient and family member conflict and can lead to distress. In addition, the scope of the standard of care, as well as nursing practices, helps clinicians or nurses to uphold their expected behavior as well as their responsibilities when making a decision regarding the right to die.