The Role Quality of Life Issues Displays in Medical Decisions Jahi McMath is a 13-year-old girl living in Oakland, CA who was declared brain dead by multiple neurologists more than three months ago. Jahi was declared brain-dead December 12th after barriers during surgery a few days earlier to remove her tonsils, adenoids, and uvula at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland. At least three neurologists confirmed that Jahi was unable to breathe on her own, had no blood flow to her brain, and had no sign of electrical activity in her brain. Moreover, a court order kept Jahi's body on a ventilator while independent experts could be brought in to confirm the results (Wells, 2014). Even so, the McMath family was able to secure the release of Jahi's body through the county coroner, who issued a death certificate, and have been keeping her on a ventilator at an undisclosed facility ever since. This all occurred after Children’s Hospital released Jahi due to her severe brain damage along with the probability of the hospital receiving profit from discharging Jahi before her or her family were ready for her to be released (Johnson and Rhodes, 2010, p. 61). The family of Jahi has experienced limited resources as well as limited possibilities, however the quality of life has a strong hold on the medical decisions made by the family. According to Johnson and Rhodes (2010), quality of life (QOL) is one of the main focuses by the hospice movement (p. 64). It is known as the general well being of individuals and societies. This includes fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. The consideration of quality of life in making medical decisions regarding healthcare may involve judgments about the worth of life, and that ... ... middle of paper ... ...ut quality and without change. Thus, quality of life should be an essential feature when resources are limited or plentiful, giving the patient and/or their family the opening to decide for themselves what steps should be taken. References Cella, D.F. (1995). Measuring quality of life in palliative care. Semin Oncol 22(2 Suppl 3), 73-81. Johnson, M. M. & Rhodes, R. (2010). Human behavior and the larger social environment: A new synthesis (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson. Pearlman, R. A. & Jonsen, A. (1985). The use of quality-of-life considerations in medical decision making. J AM Geriatr Sociology, 33(5), 344-352. Wells, J. (2014, March 28). Mother of brain-dead Jahi McMath says daughter is 'still sleeping'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brain-dead-jahi-mcmath-mother-speaks-20140328,0,2928305.story#axzz2xhw11joF
Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2014). Human Behavior in the Macro Social Environment: An Empowerment Approach to Understanding Communities, Organization, and Groups. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Myers, David G. “Chapter 14: Social Psychology.” Psychology. 10th ed. New York, NY US: Worth
When making decisions regarding treatment of another person, it is important to respect the expressed wishes of the individual. John says that his mother would want to live as long as she could, but questions arise related to her quality of life and perception of prolonged suffering by prolonging the dying process. The book states that quality of life changes throughout one’s life and experiences.
Zastrow, C. H., & Krist-Ashman, K. K. (2013). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment (9 ed.). Belmont:
A divergent set of issues and opinions involving medical care for the very seriously ill patient have dogged the bioethics community for decades. While sophisticated medical technology has allowed people to live longer, it has also caused protracted death, most often to the severe detriment of individuals and their families. Ira Byock, director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, believes too many Americans are “dying badly.” In discussing this issue, he stated, “Families cannot imagine there could be anything worse than their loved one dying, but in fact, there are things worse.” “It’s having someone you love…suffering, dying connected to machines” (CBS News, 2014). In the not distant past, the knowledge, skills, and technology were simply not available to cure, much less prolong the deaths of gravely ill people. In addition to the ethical and moral dilemmas this presents, the costs of intensive treatment often do not realize appreciable benefits. However, cost alone should not determine when care becomes “futile” as this veers medicine into an even more dangerous ethical quagmire. While preserving life with the best possible care is always good medicine, the suffering and protracted deaths caused from the continued use of futile measures benefits no one. For this reason, the determination of futility should be a joint decision between the physician, the patient, and his or her surrogate.
Healthcare providers must make their treatment decisions based on many determining factors, one of which is insurance reimbursement. Providers always consider whether or not the organization will be paid by the patients and/or insurance companies when providing care. Another important factor which affects the healthcare provider’s ability to provide the appropriate care is whether or not the patient has been truthful, if they have had access to health, and are willing to take the necessary steps to maintain their health.
Dr. Paul A. Byrne, a neonatologist and a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, claims that brain death is not true death for a person, doctors just want to harvest the organs so they claim a person is dead when they’re really not: “Patients are declared brain dead in order to harvest their organs.” The true death is the removal of the organs, Byrne says: “Every donor is killed in the process.” Byrne also says that doctors aren’t able to take the organs out of someone who is truly dead because organ damage occurs after circulation has stopped. Therefore, the person is still alive when the removal of organs takes place. Byrne supports his claim, that brain death isn’t true death, by providing evidence about a young man from Oklahoma, Zach Dunlap, who was declared brain dead. However, his cousin who was one of his nurses, recognized a response after four hours of being declared dead by scraping a knife on the bottom of his foot. Dunlap wasn’t truly dead although he had been declared dead. He even said he could hear everything the doctors were saying but couldn’t yell for help due to his head injury. By telling the story of a person who had this happen to him, Byrne is showing that there is actual evidence that people who are declared brain dead might not actually be dead and that doctors should be better at checking whether a person is truly brain dead or not. The story of Zach Dunlap appeared on newscasts, websites, and shows; such as NBC News, the Today
Many people are afraid to make decisions concerning their wishes when they die. This includes fear of making wills and making critical decisions that affect lives of others when they are not there. When the patients are terminally ill, they become incapable of making these decisions and they are often assisted or directed by some external forces to make these decisions. This paper exploits options and conditions of different terminally ill patients with a keen look at their mental and health status. It is also going to explore on those patients with DNR (Do not Resuscitate) orders and advance directives.
This case is considering whether or not it is ethical to take a brain dead woman that is pregnant off of ventalation. This specific case involves a resident of Texas named Amanda. Amanda was thirty years old. Amanda was married, was mother of an 18-month old child, and worked in the healthcare industry. One day, Amanda collapsed and the doctors then later determined she had a massive pulmonary embolism. She was then declared brain dead after being taken to the hospital. Brain death is the irreversible cessation of all the functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem (Baumrucker 672).
Quality and quality improvement are important to any healthcare organization because these principles allows organizations to fulfill their missions more effectively. Defining what quality is may differ depending on whom is asking the question, as differing participates may have differing ideas about what quality means and why it is important. Being that quality is what unites patients and healthcare organizations, we can see the importance of quality and the need for strong policies and practices that improve patient care and their experience while receiving that care. Giannini (2015) states that this dualistic approach to quality utilizes separate measurements, conformance quality that measures patient outcomes against a set standard and
The debate over whose decision it is to uphold a human life is one with a vast range of opinions. Some believe it should be up to God, whereas others assert that it is the right of an individual; however, the ultimate verdict rests in the hands of the government. When tragedy leaves a victim in critical condition with no assurance of recovery, circumstances do not allow for a straightforward action plan. In any state of affairs, it is optimal to continue the life of a patient, even if it seems as though the ideal solution is death. Medical practitioners, relatives, and patients themselves do not deserve the pressure to decide this grave fate. The choice between life and death should not exist. Every human is entitled to the right to live, and
Smith, Janet E and Christopher Kaczor. Life Issues Medical Choices. Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messeger Press, 2007. Print.
Zastrow, C., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2013). Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Australia: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Terminal illnesses are most commonly associated with cancer, HIV and/or organ disorders. These diseases are known to debilitate the patient and cause extreme amounts of pain. This decision should be made entirely by the patient, as they are the ones dealing with the effects of these terminal illnesses. We can all understand that families and outsiders object to Euthanasia as an option, but the pain factor m...
A variety of quality of life measures can be used for research purposes said Jacob (2009) such as economic decision making, and for decision making in clinical practice, but need to be tailored to these goals. In clinical practice quality of life measures are currently used for needs assessment and monitoring purposes. Chronic disease management systems, with the aim of delivering systematic multidisciplinary care that is also targeted at individual needs, often incorporate disease-specific instruments to assess needs and to monitor changes in perceived disease consequences.