Quality of Life Flashcards
What is Quality of Life?
- a multidimensional construct that includes: performance and enjoyment of social roles, physical health, intellectual functioning, emotional state, ans satisfaction/well being
- refers to a degree of satisfaction that people experience and value about their lives as a whole and in its particular aspects such as physical health
Who decides what the quality of life should be? why?
- the patient dt autonomy - two patients in the exact same situations may have two different ideas of what the quality of life should be
- the Physician dt beneficence and nonmaleficence
- Society dt Justice - scarce resources and social norms
Autonomy - the physician - patient relationship: is living longer better?
- depends on risk vs benefits
- many pts will opt out of treatment when fully informed and have realistic understanding and expectations
Beneficence in the physician- patient relationship
- to have the welfare of the pt in mind - “do the right thing”
- physicians want to “cure illness, save lives and instill hope”
Things to consider in beneficence?
- is seeking a cure/aggressive care beneficence?
- is relieving suffering at all costs beneficence? - sanctity of life vs tension of the quality of life
Beneficence : physician- patient relationship and paternalism
- professional guidelines/standards : do no harm
- personal beliefs of the physician about the sanctity of life
Non-maleficence definition
do no harm
Justice and the Physician - patient relationship
Autonomy would dictate that the patient gets what ever they want (consumerism). Justice is the ethical determinate where the physician can say no
What constitutes a good death?
- closure - to say: i forgive you, I love you, I will miss you, I am sorry, Goodbye
- most patients want independence and not be a burden to the family
- Most patients do not want to die alone
- all patients want to die as pain free as humanly possible
