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Case Study Advance Directives

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1. What is your understanding of the Advance Directive for Healthcare and how does your facility (current or past) deal with the issue?
There are two different types of Advance Directives, a Health Care Power of Attorney and a Living Will. An advance directive is a proactive legal document a patient fills out in advance making their wishes know in regards to complicated health care decisions in case they are unable to make the decisions for themselves for some reason. This document appoints a health care power of attorney to make the decision on the patient behalf if they are unable In my facility, we ask all patients or their representative upon admission if they have an advance directive in place. If they do not have one we …show more content…

Having worked in critical for many years I personally believe as demonstrated in the LearnScape video that having the discussion and putting those wishes down on paper can be one of the best gifts a person can give their family or loved ones. I once had an older seasoned nurse tell me that to her there are things a lot worse than dying. Unfortunately I grew to understand completely what she meant by that statement.
3. While an emotional topic for many, Assisted Suicide and certain forms of euthanasia have been supported in certain US states (Oregon for example) and countries (Switzerland). What is the nurse 's role (if any) in the U.S. in these end-of-life issues?
Euthanasia remains illegal in the United States but, assisted suicide is now legal in three states: Washington, Oregon, and Montana. The primary difference in between euthanasia and assisted suicide is who administers the lethal dose of medication. The nurse role should be similar to that listed above in regards to Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) and Allow Natural Death (AND). The nurse should not only support the patient but the patient’s family/ loved ones as well not judging the patient or their decision.
4. Which ethical principles do you believe are at play during LearnScape video …show more content…

References
Bipartisan bill encourages Americans to complete ‘advance directives,’ plan for life-sustaining health decisions| News Releases| U.S. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware. (2015, November 18). Retrieved from http://www.coons.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/release/bipartisan-bill-encourages-americans-to-complete-advance-directives-plan-for-life-sustaining-health-decisions
Nursing Care and Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) and Allow Natural Death (AND) Decisions. (2012, March 12). Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/Ethics-Position-Statements/Nursing-Care-and-Do-Not-Resuscitate-DNR-and-Allow-Natural-Death-Decisions.pdf
Olin, J. (2012, February 24). Nursing’s Role in Assisted Suicide | Notes from the Nurses ' Station. Retrieved from http://www.rncentral.com/blog/2012/nursings-role-in-assisted-suicide/
Short Definitions of Ethical Principles and Theories Familiar words, what do they mean? (n.d.). Retrieved from

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