Verified Document

Living Wills Research Proposal

Living Wills All too often, living wills are something "swept under the rug" by patients who need them and by those who could help patients set them up and get them in place. When a patient goes to the hospital, either to be admitted or to use emergency services, he or she is often asked if there is a living will in place. Often, the answer is "no," and when asked whether he or she would like to create one, the answer is still "no." There is too much stress in a situation like that, and the person wants to be treated for his or her immediate problem, not be taught about other documentation. Because of that, there must be a better way for a person who is elderly and/or who has a chronic condition. The proposed intervention would involve the elderly and those who live with chronic issues such as COPD. The intervention could take place at one of several locations. The hospital is the most logical choice for a discussion of living wills, but nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and doctors' offices are also good choices for discussing living wills. Another important place to discuss these documents is in a home setting, especially when the services of a visiting nurse are required.

While many people do not think of living wills, they are highly important documents for those who want their wishes followed. The intervention may need to take place more than once, however, for people to understand the importance of this kind of document. With an...

Logically, and budgetary issues notwithstanding, it would be a better choice for a specific, designated person to discuss the living will, as opposed to asking nurses to handle the issue. Many nurses are already overburdened with the work they do, and adding living will discussions onto their workload would not benefit them or their patients.
A direct intervention with a visiting nurse or other medical professional is necessary because living wills, or advance directives, are not being completed upon admission to hospitals, doctors' offices, and other medical arenas This is especially true for the elderly and chronic or terminally ill patients. From the focus group that was organized to address the issue, it was learned that the elderly, patients and their families, and doctors, nurses, secretaries, case management or admissions clerks, ER triage nurses, and others in a medical setting do not take the time to complete or teach about the importance of living wills. Nurses do not have the time to address the needs of patients when it comes to living wills. Hospitals and other medical care facilities must appoint someone other than the nurse to speak with patients who do not have living wills during their hospital stay.

This intervention must be evaluated with qualitative and…

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Living Wills and Advanced Directives
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

The overall incidence of the withdrawal of life sustaining measures in European ICUs is not known, although withholding and withdrawing life support is actively used by most European intensivists, shortening of the dying process remains rare. In the treatment of terminally ill patients in Japan, new surveys indicate that Japanese physicians tend to treat the patients more aggressively. An analysis showed that in Japan, patients wishes are often not

Do Not Resuscitate Orders Living Wills
Words: 1689 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

resuscitate orders and living wills (also known as "advance directives"). Specifically, it will discuss the ethics of these orders, and how they relate to medical law and professional ethics. Living wills and do not resuscitate orders (DNR) are common methods for patients and their families to indicate their wishes during times of hospitalization and treatment. However, there are so many exceptional cases and circumstances surrounding these issues that they

Wills Outline of Gilbert Law
Words: 3832 Length: 10 Document Type: Essay

E. Revival of revoked wills. In most cases, a revoked will is not revivable unless it is reexecuted or revived by codicil; however, if a revoked will was destroyed, it cannot be revived in this fashion. F. Dependent relative revocation. These are mistakes of law made by the testator concerning the disposition of property that can be disregarded in the administration of a will. Components of a Will A. Integration. This term refers to the collation

Living Buildings Society's Dependence on Green Technology
Words: 1035 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Living Buildings Society's dependence on green technology and environmentally friendly building practices are at the forefront of the construction industry in today's world. Engineers, designers, builders and trades people are all involved in reshaping the industry to an organization dedicated to help preserving the Earth's natural resources and its own way of doing things. Sustainable construction is a real and positive force in the building world an it is important to understand

Living Constitutionalism
Words: 3355 Length: 11 Document Type: Term Paper

Living Constitutionalism As the leader of the free world, the United States remains in the limelight as the rest of the world keeps a keen eye on how they conduct their affairs. As it appertains to constitutional interpretation, the U.S. has a sound philosophy dubbed 'living constitutionalism.' In the American constitutional dispensation, as in other countries, the letter of the law is unequivocal. That notwithstanding, many agree that every society is

Living Company Harvard Business Review
Words: 2860 Length: 11 Document Type: Term Paper

Living Company De Geus, Arie. (2002). The Living Company. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing. Instead of being a typical management book on what should and should not be done to perpetuate the status quo, author Arie de Geus drew on his experiences within Royal Dutch/Shell, research from biologists and psychologists, and the study of multinational corporations or companies with a great deal of longevity. Instead, De Geus believes that companies that want

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now