Should terminal illness patients choose to prolong their lives? Terminal illness patient is a disease that patient will die soon regardless any treatment intervention. End-of-life care in the ICU concerns both ‘normal’ dying process with aggressive pain management and the decision to end life with an “A good death”. “A good death” is a person dies on his own terms, relatively free from pain, in a supported medical setting. The medical team plays big roles in both processes. Koesel and Link state that, “At times, ongoing aggressive life-prolonging interventions for a terminally ill patient can create ethical conflicts and moral distress for nurses” (1). Nurses have an ethical obligation to the patients which conflict with the patient’s choice …show more content…
For instance, in China, the elderly in small villages tend to want to end their lives in the home rather in the hospital. In fact, most patients would like to pass on comfortably in their own bed at home. Religion and family dynamics play a big role in terminal illness process. We sometimes still need to think about how many patients fight hard and lose. The medical team needs to know the patients’ needs and wants, and where the patient is trying to get for his or her treatment. The patient and family need to be told what the treatment and care plan options are and what outcomes are to be expected. The medical staff may find it easier to move the patient towards the best solution in his or her needs and outcome.

Finally, state law support a patient’s right to choose his own treatment options. Patients choose to prolong their lives. They want aggressive life saving measures even though consoling them to look at other options. They have the right to fight for their lives and choose how they would deal with their illness and their death. If physicians and nurses violate the patient’s wishes, and withdraw the patient’s treatment without patient’s consent, the physician and nurse can and probably would be slapped with a …show more content…
The family respects the patients wish to prolong their life, but in this process, the family has to stay with the patient at all times. The family has to see how the patient suffers. At the very least they are kept in a limbo. Families are often kept feeling isolated and alone because the staff keeps their distance because they do not agree with the patient’s choice. This was a time when the staff needed to be keep the family in the medical loop and keep communication open. It is very common for family members to suffer later from PDSD and depression. We need to practice more at keeping in tune to the family and patient’s needs rather than our own belief system. Death is something that no matter how many people surround us, do it alone. The family and the patient can have different views and reasoning’s and we must learn to navigate