PHLB09H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Esophageal Cancer, Advance Healthcare Directive, Mental Age
Document Summary
Concern with euthanasia in which a clearly competent patient makes a voluntary and persistent request for aid in dying: involuntary euthanasia, in which a competent patient explicitly refuses or opposes receiving euthanasia, non voluntary euthanasia, in which a patient is incompetent and unable to express his or her wishes about euthanasia, considered only as potential unwanted side effects of permitting voluntary euthanasia. Ways to ensure the patient"s choice is fully informed, voluntary, competent: 1) patient should be provided with all relevance information about his/her medical condition, current prognosis, available alternative treatments and the prognosis of each, 2) procedures should ensure that the patient"s request for euthanasia is stable or enduring and fully voluntary, 3) all reasonable alternatives must have been explored for improving the patient"s quality of life and relieve any pain of suffering, psychiatric evaluation should ensure that the patient"s request is no the result of a treatable psychological impairment such as depression.
