- Discuss your preconceived thoughts and baseline knowledge of death with dignity. Include your initial thoughts, feelings, and viewpoints on the topic prior to completing the readings and watching the videos.
Death with dignity is a topic where I don’t know too much about the logistics of how it is done, however I am aware that it is only available in certain states and countries around the world. This is an option for someone with a terminal illness to be able to choose when they would like to end their life with the help of medical professionals before the disease process becomes unbearable or when they lose the ability to perform occupations throughout their day. I believe they need to go through a mental evaluation as part of the long process as well to see if they are doing this for a reason and to see if they have any underlying conditions that could hinder them from making a clear and sound choice. I value life, but I also see the value in allowing those that are terminal to have a say in their death and allow them to have it occur on their terms. I would feel uncomfortable right now with not having enough education on this topic (prior to readings and videos) to be a part of the process. I think that there is a possibility that I would support those that are interested in going through this process, but as of right now I am not interested in hospice or end of life care nursing.
How does death with dignity challenge your beliefs of the first ethical principle, nonmaleficence, or do no harm, which is directly tied to the nurse’s duty to protect the patient’s safety?
One detail that I am surprised to find in the Maine Death with Dignity Act was that the deciding person is a physician and doesn’t mention an NP being an example deciding person and able to prescribe the medications. I would hope in the future that this could change and have NP’s be an authoritative figure in this ethical matter. Death with dignity challenges my belief against nonmaleficence as it is an action that is ending someone’s life, however in the eyes of the patient it is not doing harm it is giving them the chance to end their life how they wish. As nurses we want to advocate and include patients in their own care plan and if we are in a state where there are laws that allow this process to take place then it is our duty to provide accurate and up-to-date information to them about this topic. We don’t need to voice our own opinion on the patient and tell them how we feel ethically, if we are employed by a practice where this is possible and could take place then we should just support them through it. Protecting their safety and promoting their health throughout treatment is what we can do through education and supporting all of their areas of wellness.
