Ethics of Supplemental Feeding Flashcards
What is ethics?
Study of moral standards and how they affect conduct
What are the 4 rules of being a doctor in terms of ethics?
Principles of non-malfeasance
Principle of beneficence
Respect for autonomy
Justice
What is the principle of non-malfeasance?
Protect the patient from harm
What is the principle of beneficence?
Promote the patient’s welfare
What does respect for autonomy mean?
Informed consent, right to make ones own choices
What does justice mean in terms of medicine?
Fair in dealings with patients, colleagues and society
What are the general principles of human rights legislation?
Article 2, right to life
Article 3, prohibition of torture
Article 8, right to respect for private and family life
Why is euthanasia so difficult and controversial?
There is no UK law for it yet
What is euphanasia?
Active steps taken to end someone’s life to stop their suffering
What does “incapable” mean in terms of the law?
Incapable of:
acting or
communicating decisions or
understanding decisions or
retaining the memory of decisions
What are the primary roles of medicine?
To benefit the patient by restoring or maintaining the patient’s health as far as possible
If treatment fails or ceases to give a net benefit to the patient or the patient has completely refused the treatment then the goal cannot be realised and the justification for providing treatment is removed
What is the difference between basic care and treatment?
Food and fluid are basic care
Any tube is treatment
What should be done when trialing treatment?
Agre a trial of treatment for a reasonable period of time
Try to set definable targets
Decide in advance how a decision will be reached
Review decision at that time
If appropriate, act on it
What is a patient’s autonomy highly protected by?
Law
What should be remembered about documentation?
Always document what you are doing, they are legal documents and the protection from patients word against your word
