End of Life Flashcards
If a child is brought into A&E unconscious and unable to communicate, is the carer of the child allowed to make decisions about their treatment?
Yes, but only if the carer has ‘welfare of attorney’
What is meant by the ‘doctrine of the double effect’?
If doing something morally good has a morally bad outcome, then it is ok to do it as long as the morally bad outcome wasn’t intended
In what situations can a family member make medical decisions for the patient?
If they have been legally appointed proxy decision maker
AND
The patient lacks capacity
When faced with a situation where a patient wishes for their life to be ended prematurely, what duties must the doctor consider?
Duty of care - Doctors have a duty of care to save life and preserve function
If a patient is brought into A&E bleeding heavily, what ethical questions need to be considered before proceeding to give them a blood transfusion?
Autonomy - is the patient happy to have the transfusion
Benefit vs. Harm - If the transfusion is given vs. if the transfusion is not given
What should be considered in the case of an elderly patient who has COPD, IHD, AKI and metastatic bladder cancer who goes into cardiac arrest?
Do they have a DNACPR in place?
Patient autonomy - their right to make a choice about their treatment
What would benefit or harm the patient?
What is meant by a doctors duty of care?
Dcotors have a duty of care to save life and preserve function
Should patients be presumed to have capacity?
Yes
What would be the indicators that a patient lacks capacity?
They cannot do the following:
- Make decisions
- Communicate their decisions
- Understand their decisions
- Retain memory of their decisions
If a patient lacks capacity and we are making decisions on their behalf, what must be taken into consideration?
The patients past and present wishes
The views of relevant others, i.e. family members
When might an advance refusal of treatment become invalid?
The patient was not capable at the time of writing the advance directive
The treatment options have changed
Patient has acted in a way that suggest they have changed their mind
What are the duties of a doctor registered with the GMC?
1 - Knowledge, skills and performance
2 - Safety and quality
3 - Communication, partnership and teamwork
4 - Maintain Trust
