chapter 12

Question 0

brain death

Answer 0

final cessation of the bodily activity, used to determine when death actually occurs; circulatory and respiratory functions have irreversibly ceased, and the entire brain (including the brain stem) has irreversibly ceased to function

Question 1

uniform determination of death act

Answer 1

a proposal that established uniform guidelines for determining when death has occured

Question 2

coma

Answer 2

a condition of deep stupor from which the patient cannot be roused by external stimuli

Question 3

persistent vegetative state (PVS)

Answer 3

severe mental impairment characterized by irreversible cessation of the higher functions of the brain, most often caused by damage to the cerebral cortex

Question 4

palliative care

Answer 4

treatment of a terminally ill patient’s symptoms to make dying more comfortable; also called comfort care

Question 5

curative care

Answer 5

treatment directed toward curing a patient’s disease

Question 6

hospice

Answer 6

a facility or program (often carried out in a patient’s home) in which teams of health care practitioners and volunteers provide a continuing environment that focuses on the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of the dying patient

Question 7

terminally ill

Answer 7

referring to patients who are expected to die within six months

Question 8

thanatology

Answer 8

the study of death and of the psychological methods of coping with it

Question 9

uniform rights of the terminally ill act

Answer 9

a 1989 recommendation of the national conference of commissioners on uniform state laws that all states construct laws to address advance directives

Question 10

active euthanasia

Answer 10

a conscious medical act that results in the death of a dying person

Question 11

passive euthanasia

Answer 11

the act of allowing a dying patient to die naturally, without medical interference

Question 12

voluntary euthanasia

Answer 12

the act of ending a dying patient’s life by medical means with his or her permission

Question 13

involuntary euthanasia

Answer 13

the act of ending a terminal patient’s life by medical means without his or her permission

Question 14

patient self- determination act

Answer 14

a federal law passed in 1990 that requires hospitals and other health care providers to provide written information to patients regarding their rights under state law to make medical decisions and execute advance directives

Question 15

living will

Answer 15

an advance directive that specifies an individual’s end- of- life wishes

Question 16

durable power of attorney

Answer 16

an advance directive that confers upon a designee the authority to make a variety of legal decisions on behalf of the grantor, usually including health care decisions

Question 17

health care proxy

Answer 17

a durable power of attorney issued for purposes of health care decisions only

Question 18

do- not- resuscitate (DNR)

Answer 18

orders written at the request of patients or their authorized representatives that cardiopulmonary resuscitation not to be used to sustain life in a medical crisis

Question 19

national organ transplant act

Answer 19

passed in 1984, a statute that provides grants to qualified organ procurement and transplantation network

Question 20

uniform anatomical gift act

Answer 20

a recommendation of the national conference of commissioners on uniform state laws, that all states accepted, allowing individuals to donate their bodies or body parts, after death, for use in transplant surgery, tissue banks, or medical research or education