Ethics at the end of life

Ethics at the end of life
Medicine; by John Idris Baker; 7/24
End-of-life care has always been prominent in discussions of clinical ethics. Almost 30% of hospital inpatients are in their last year of life. Doctors frequently encounter people with end-of-life care needs and should to be equipped to respond... Key points:

• End-of-life care is about living, not just about dying: its ethical principles apply as in other fields
• Words must be clear, for example distinguishing the last year of life and the last days of life
• Good end-of-life care is a duty, applying sound principles to changing contexts, needs and the patient’s goals. Listen and discern patient preferences even when they cannot be expressed
• Look out for changes in condition, priorities and needs, and respond to them
• Understand the distinction between end-of-life care and ‘assisted dying’, and the doctrine of double effect