It appears that the way Americans want to pass away is rarely what actually happens.
The training of medical professionals may result in different goals for them than those of their patient, according to The New York Times reports in “We’re Bad at Death. Can We Talk?“.
When we get sick, doctors give us the treatment that we generally expect. However, that does not necessarily hold true when people are at the end of their lives.
The difference between the goals of doctors and patients, stems from the fact that doctors are trained to do everything they can to sustain life. On the other hand, most patients would prefer to be let go with the least amount of pain and discomfort.
This leads to terminally ill patients being placed in intensive care units on artificial life support, when they would prefer to be placed in palliative care or return home so that they can pass away in peace.
This issue is one that needs to be addressed by the medical community.
An attorney can guide to create a health care proxy that truly reflects your wishes.
Reference: New York Times (May 10, 2017) “We’re Bad at Death. Can We Talk?”
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