END OF LIFE CARE AND NURSING ETHICS

END OF LIFE CARE

What type of care is defined as comprehensive care for individuals nearing the end of life, focusing on living as fully as possible until the end?

GROWING DEMAND

An increasing number of elderly patients with chronic illnesses are requiring long-term supportive care toward the end of life. What concept does this situation reflect?

QUALITY OF LIFE

A nurse focuses on relieving pain and helping a terminally ill patient remain comfortable and meaningful in their remaining days. What benefit of end-of-life care is demonstrated?

FAMILY SUPPORT

A nurse provides emotional support and guidance not only to the patient but also to their grieving family members. What benefit is shown?

DIGNIFIED DEATH

A patient is allowed to pass peacefully with comfort measures, respecting their wishes and avoiding unnecessary suffering. What benefit is demonstrated?

PERSON-CENTERED CARE

A nurse respects a terminally ill patient’s personal beliefs and preferences when planning care, even if they differ from standard protocols. What principle is being demonstrated?

HOLISTIC APPROACH

A healthcare team addresses a patient’s physical pain, emotional distress, social needs, and spiritual concerns during end-of-life care. What principle is applied?

COMMUNICATION

A nurse provides honest and compassionate updates to both the patient and family regarding prognosis and care options. What principle is shown?

SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT

A patient in terminal stages receives aggressive pain control and symptom relief to ensure comfort. What principle is being practiced?

SUPPORT FOR FAMILY

A nurse involves the family in decision-making and offers grief support after the patient’s death. What principle is demonstrated?

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

A nurse respects a patient’s religious rituals and cultural practices related to death and dying. What principle is being applied?

MEDICAL DEFINITION

A patient is declared dead after the irreversible cessation of biological functions that sustain life. What type of definition of death is being referred to?

LEGAL DEFINITION

A hospital follows the Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA) in declaring death based on either irreversible cessation of circulatory/respiratory functions OR all brain functions. What type of definition is this?

CIRCULATORY/CARDIAC DEATH

A patient’s heart has stopped beating and cannot be restarted despite resuscitation efforts. What type of death is being determined?

BRAIN DEATH

A patient is declared dead after showing complete and irreversible loss of all brain function. What type of death is this?

UNRECEPTIVITY

A patient shows no response to external stimuli, even when pain is applied. Which Harvard criterion is being assessed?

NO MOVEMENTS

A patient has no spontaneous movements or breathing efforts observed. Which Harvard criterion is being described?

NO REFLEXES

A patient shows absence of brainstem reflexes, including pupil and gag reflexes. Which criterion is this?

FLAT EEG

An EEG test is performed and shows no brain activity, repeated after 24 hours for confirmation. What Harvard criterion is this?

APNEA TEST

A patient is temporarily disconnected from the ventilator for 3 minutes and shows no breathing effort. What test is being performed?

EXCLUSIONS

A patient is evaluated for brain death, but the nurse ensures there is no hypothermia or central nervous system depressants present before diagnosis. What Harvard criterion is being considered?

DEAD DONOR RULE

A rule states that organ donors must be declared dead before any organ recovery is performed. What ethical rule is being referred to?

DONATION AFTER BRAIN DEATH (DBD)

A patient is declared dead based on irreversible loss of brain function, and organ procurement is done within 24–48 hours after declaration. What type of donation is this?

SEPARATION OF CARE DECISIONS

A patient’s care decisions must be made independently, ensuring that the organ recovery team does not participate in withdrawing life support decisions. What ethical principle is being followed?

SEPARATION OF END-OF-LIFE DECISION FROM DONATION

A physician decides to withdraw life support before any discussion of organ donation occurs. What ethical requirement is being observed?

FAMILY CONSENT AFTER DEATH DECLARATION

A family is asked for permission to donate organs only after the patient has been legally declared dead. What ethical requirement is being followed?

FAMILY DYNAMICS

In end-of-life situations, decisions are often made through the involvement of the entire family rather than just one individual, reflecting a collective decision-making approach. What concept is this?

DEATH AS A JOURNEY

In Filipino culture, death is often viewed as a journey to the afterlife with a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere. What concept is being described?

RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE

In the Philippines, end-of-life beliefs are strongly shaped by Catholic teachings, including ideas about suffering, the sanctity of life, and life from conception to natural death. What concept is being described?

ACTIVE EUTHANASIA

A doctor intentionally administers a lethal injection to end a terminally ill patient’s suffering. What ethical issue is being described?

PASSIVE EUTHANASIA

A terminally ill patient is no longer placed on a ventilator because the treatment is considered futile. What type of euthanasia or decision is being applied?

PROLONGATION OF LIFE

A hospital continues using advanced life-support machines even though recovery is no longer possible. What concept is being demonstrated?

CONFLICT BETWEEN CARING AND SUFFERING

Nurses struggle with whether continuing aggressive treatment is helping the patient or only increasing suffering. What ethical conflict is being highlighted?

INVIOLABILITY OF HUMAN LIFE

A nursing policy states that human life must be protected from conception until natural death. What principle is being emphasized?

THE RIGHT TO DIE (PATIENT AUTONOMY)

A patient refuses further chemotherapy despite medical advice, asserting their right to decide their own care. What legal/ethical concept is being demonstrated?

WITHDRAWING TREATMENT

A patient is already on a ventilator, but the healthcare team decides to discontinue it due to futility. What decision is being made?

SANCTITY OF LIFE

A nurse believes that life should be preserved at all costs regardless of patient condition. What ethical principle is being applied?

QUALITY OF LIFE

A healthcare team evaluates whether continuing treatment improves the patient’s physical, mental, and social well-being before deciding care. What ethical perspective is being used?

WITHHOLDING TREATMENT

A patient and family choose not to start dialysis before it is initiated due to a terminal condition. What decision-making type is this?

PRINCIPLE OF DOUBLE EFFECTS

A terminally ill patient is given morphine to relieve severe pain, even though it may unintentionally hasten death. What principle is being applied?

PALLIATIVE CARE AND HOSPICE

A patient in end-of-life care is no longer being treated to cure the disease but is instead given comfort-focused care. What type of care is this?

DISCLOSURE

A nurse explains the patient’s diagnosis, treatment options, risks, and alternatives before obtaining consent. What element of informed consent is being demonstrated?

UNDERSTANDING

A patient is asked to repeat back and explain their treatment plan to ensure they understand it fully. What element of informed consent is this?

VOLUNTARINESS

A patient signs a consent form without any pressure, coercion, or influence from family or healthcare workers. What element of informed consent is being shown?

CAPACITY ASSESSMENT

A nurse evaluates whether a patient is mentally capable of making decisions, including their ability to reason, comprehend, and communicate. What process is being done?

ADVOCATE

A nurse speaks up to ensure a patient’s wishes and rights about end-of-life care are respected. What nursing role is being demonstrated?

EDUCATOR

A nurse teaches the family about the patient’s poor prognosis and expected outcomes of care. What nursing role is being applied?

CAREGIVER

A nurse provides hygiene care, comfort measures, and pain relief to a dying patient. What nursing role is this?

COUNSELOR

A nurse supports a grieving family by addressing their emotional and spiritual distress. What nursing role is being demonstrated?

ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

A nurse follows a structured process by first gathering facts, identifying problems, consulting guidelines, evaluating options, and making a decision. What process is this?