End of Life Medical Issues - Essay Example

Patients should be allowed to end their lives. However, there should be should policies that explain when the end of life care should be practiced. Such policies will help people to know whether one’s life has value and can be ended. It is ethically significant to allow patients to end their lives in order to practice patient’s autonomy, prevent painful deaths, and promote stewardship of resources. Patients should be allowed to end their lives because they have a right to practice their autonomy. In a healthcare system, patients’ autonomy is usually respected.

This is why involving patients in decision-making is usually emphasized. Respecting patients’ rights means that patients should be allowed to make choices even if they differ from those of their family or physician. However, it is the duty of physicians to ensure that they give enough information to patients regarding their health conditions (Yadav, 2006). For instance, physicians should inform patients about all the risks and benefits involved if they make certain decisions. In addition, patients should be aware of alternatives to actions proposed to physicians.

This is vital because it enables patients to make the right decisions. It is also important for medical experts to let a patient know that his decisions may conflict with the goals of a healthcare unit such as survival goals. If patients still decide to end their lives after being aware of all this then they should be allowed. However, it will be unethical to let mentally ill patients make such decisions. The respect for patient autonomy should not be mistaken with suicides (Yadav, 2006). Patients should also be allowed to end their lives in order to prevent them from undergoing painful deaths.

One of the devastating problems experienced by patients during the end-of-life period is pain. It is difficult for some physicians to effectively recognize and treat pain undergone by patients. This is because each person undergoes a different threshold of pain. Studies show that there is no exclusive treatment for pain.