End Of Life Care Essay

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TAKING SERIOUSLY ILL PATIENTS SERIOUSLY: ETHICS AND POLICY DIMENSIONS OF THE CHORONIC DISEASE/ END OF LIFE CARE CONTINUUM
The article written by Nancy Berlinger and Michael K Gusmano encompass the definition of chronic disease with different perspectives and ethical issues and policy dimensions in these diseases especially focusing on end of life care. The difference between life threatening diseases and chronic diseases and has been mentioned in perspective of media coverage to attract patients to the health care organizations, illustrating heroic measures taken to cure a disease and success story.
The definition of chronic disease in health policy literature is “Conditions that last a year or more and require ongoing medical attention and/or …show more content…

Duration, progression with terminal prognosis, curability, treatability with burden and benefits of treatment and provision of palliative treatment towards the end of life with informed decision making involving patient, all have their importance. Chronicity and stability of the disease also have its implications both professionally and ethically.
Chronic disease management and end of life care shows practice variation and structural inequities in even developed worlds. The acute hospitalize care, nursing home care or caregivers at home all depend on the chronicity, progression and palliative care require by the patient.
Integration of palliative care in health care system to relief pain and suffering is important. Even in US the facility of hospice care is underutilized because of many factors. Having said that, first obligation of health care professionals is to relief suffering of chronically ill and terminal stage disease patient. Research based knowledge must be imparted to health care professionals in this regard. Establishment of institutions who care for these patients, invest in training of their staff, self identify the goals of palliative care, and promote ethical reflection is need of

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