Intimations of mortality : medical decision-making at the end of life /
Reich, Barbara A.,author.
"Most people want to live long and they want to live well. Quantity of life is experienced through the lens of quality - surviving is not enough without thriving. And the whole idea of quality only exists within the broader reality of the scarcity and uncertainty that is inherent in life. We can acknowledge this truth without allowing it to paralyze us"--
Includes bibliographical references and index.
The conundrum : how much medical care is 'enough'? -- Our health care 'system' : the good, the bad, and the probably unfixable -- Autonomy and informed consent in the real world -- The denial of death and its sequelae -- Disorders of consciousness and the meaning of life -- More barriers to good communication -- Palliative and hospice care : misunderstandings and lost opportunities -- Rational apathy and the role of uncertainty -- The crucible : making decisions for incapacitated patients -- Resolving conflicts at the end of life : three models -- At the end of the day -- Coda.
"Most people want to live long and they want to live well. Quantity of life is experienced through the lens of quality - surviving is not enough without thriving. And the whole idea of quality only exists within the broader reality of the scarcity and uncertainty that is inherent in life. We can acknowledge this truth without allowing it to paralyze us"--
Terminal care