[DOWNLOAD] "Enhancing the Doctor-Patient Relationship: Living, Dying and Use of the Living Will." by South African Journal of Bioethics and Law # Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Enhancing the Doctor-Patient Relationship: Living, Dying and Use of the Living Will.
- Author : South African Journal of Bioethics and Law
- Release Date : January 01, 2009
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 259 KB
Description
Research suggests that the living will can be used very effectively in medicine provided it is implemented and executed in such a manner as to avoid falling prey to some of its more pressing criticisms. These criticisms include the claim that living wills are not individualised and that they are often open to misinterpretation. (1) It is claimed that they lack individualisation because they are created using a template that may not incorporate the specific and specialised needs of each patient. Furthermore, they 'may not express the patients' true wishes and the living will is often automatically interpreted as a DNR [Do Not Resuscitate] order'. (1) The justification for the claim that the living will may not represent a patient's true wishes is that living wills are often left on file for years. The patient tends not to update it, so it does not incorporate any changes in personal opinion or advances in medical technology. In his scathing criticism of living wills, Tonelli notes that another problematic aspect of living wills is that they are often unavailable in an emergency or are 'not applicable in many situations involving critically ill patients'. (2)