End of Life Treatment Decision Making in a Patient Diagnosed with Copd

CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL AN PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE

Formative portfolio outline : Proforma A
Name : S.G. Priyalatha
Matriculation Number: 40135094

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|End-of-Life Treatment Decision Making in a patient with COPD…   who decides? Patient, Family or Healthcare Practitioner…                       |
|                                                                                                                                               |
|Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory illness with multiple symptoms and a decline in the functional parameters|
|that affects the quality of life. The uncertain nature of its prognosis makes the approach of palliative care and discussion of end of life     |
|issues difficult even in the advanced stage. (Choudhuri, 2012)                                                                                 |
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|In patients with COPD, often they get hospitalized for exacerbation. Besides the functional decline of parameters and their extreme discomfort |
|in breathing, their psychosocial aspect of life is greatly impacted as well. On one hand the patient as an individual is coming to terms with   |
|accepting the disease process and the discussed prognosis, yet on the other, during every admission, healthcare providers instil fear and       |
|anxiety to patients. Physicians will bring up end of life discussion with patient and family, with the decision skewed towards conservative     |
|management; no intubation and mechanical ventilation.                                                                                           |
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