Title: The Hastings Center guidelines for decisions on life-sustaining treatment and care near the end of life /
Authors: Berlinger, Nancy; Jennings, Bruce, 1949-; Wolf, Susan M.; Hastings Center
Publisher: Oxford University Press,
Year: 2013
Subjects: Terminal Care standards; Terminal Care ethics; Life Support Care ethics; Decision Making; Life Support Care standards; Terminal care Decision making Moral and ethical aspects.; Life support systems (Critical care) Moral and ethical aspects.; Medical ethics
Abstract: This new work updates and significantly expands The Hastings Center's 1987 Guidelines on the Termination of Life-Sustaining Treatment and Care of the Dying. Like its predecessor, this second edition will shape the ethical and legal framework for decision-making on treatment and end-of-life care in the United States. This groundbreaking work incorporates 25 years of research and innovation in clinical care, law, and policy. It is written for physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals and is structured for easy reference in difficult clinical situations. It supports the work of clinical ethicists, ethics committee members, health lawyers, clinical educators, scholars, and policymakers. It includes extensive practical recommendations. Health care reform places a new set of challenges on decision-making and care near the end of life.
Contents: Ethics goals for good care when patients face decisions about life-sustaining treatment or approach the end of life -- Ethics education competencies for health care professionals caring for patients facing decisions about life-sustaining treatment or approaching the end of life -- Organizational systems supporting good care and ethical practice -- Social, economic, and legal contexts -- Guidelines for advance care planning and advance directives: using patient preferences to establish goals of care and develop the care plan -- Guidelines for the decision-making process -- Guidelines concerning neonates, infants, children, and adolescents -- Guidelines for care transitions -- Guidelines for the determination of death -- Guidelines for institutional policy -- Communication with patients, surrogates, and loved ones -- Communication and collaboration with patients with disabilities -- Psychological dimensions of decision-making about life-sustaining treatment and care near the end of life -- Decision-making concerning specific treatments and technologies -- Institutional discussion guide on resource allocation and the cost of care.