¶ … Nursing
ISSUES WITH MORPHINE
The importance of the proper management of pain in a patient with a terminal illness cannot be overstated (Broglio, 2008). Pain may not be the most common among the symptoms at the end-of-life stage, but it is what patients and their families fear the most. Unrelieved pain reduces the quality of life and of joy in what remains of that life. It triggers anxiety, depression, loss of hope and the sense of usefulness and worth and also obstructs important decision-making efforts. Family members want the final moments of their departing loved one to as peaceful and comfortable as possible. That is as far as possible from the pain of the approaching end. Pharmacotherapy is still the major approach to the management of pain at this stage of life. Opioids are the main category of painkillers used for such patients because of these painkillers' strength, their accompanying capability to appease fear and calm the patient down. They can also be administered through may routes. Opioids provide sufficient relief from pain in more than ae of terminally ill patients. The most commonly used opioid for terminal illness is morphine (Broglio).
Questions, Answers and Impact of Decisions on Morphine
The first objection to morphine is that it is highly addictive (Fine, 2007). Addiction to painkillers like morphine happens if the severity of the pain is not effectively addressed. Addiction may happen but not usually in terminal cases. It is a bigger concern for doctors if a family member, like the son in this case study, refuses the use of morphine for any reason than for the patient getting addicted to it. Another misconception is the confusion between physical dependence and addiction. Dependence occurs when the body adapts to a drug. Taking it for a long time will make the person dependent on it. Sudden withdrawal will trigger the abstinence syndrome, not addiction. Increased morphine dosage does not mean dependence but the progression of the disease Tolerance is believed to relate to dependence and addiction. More often, doctors suspect…
Euthanasia Is Illegal Euthanasia otherwise known as assisted suicide refers to the painless extermination of a patient suffering from terminal illnesses or painful or incurable disease. According to Cavan & Dolan, euthanasia is the practice or act of permitting the death of hopelessly injured or sick individuals in a painless means for the purpose of mercy (Cavan & Dolan 12). The techniques used in euthanasia induce numerous artifacts such as
Ethical Issues of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia The ethical issues relating to assisted suicide and euthanasia have captured the attention of the public. The topic of Euthanasia is a contentious one and it inescapably incites strong emotional argument and gives rise to tough beliefs that do not straight away lend themselves to consensual harmony. It is improbable that a decision can be reached which will meet with universal support whenever such
Combining morphine and Ativan (lorazepam) can be deadly, making the Primary Care Physician (PCP) statement seem contradictory to medical ethics. The specific medical ethical issues addressed in this case include patient autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. However, there are other ethical issues and dilemmas raised by this case. The nurse faces professional ethical dilemmas in terms of the conflicts between Provision 2 and Provision 8 in the American Nurses Association (ANA)
Euthanasia (active and Passive) A Moral Philosophy Paper Euthanasia is the practice of ending a person's life for the sole purpose of relieving the person's body from excruciating pain and suffering due to an incurable disease. The term euthanasia is often referred as mercy killing or the 'good death' as derived from the Greek. Euthanasia can be classified into four categories. In active euthanasia, a person's life is terminated by a doctor
Euthanasia The foremost contentious concern lately has been the issue of granting legal status to the right to die with dignity, or euthanasia. Similar to the issue of death sentence or suicide, euthanasia is contentious as it entails killing an individual through a conscious decision. (The right to a dignified death - need for debate) "Euthanasia" derived from the Greek term implying "good death" is some activity we perform or otherwise
Euthanasia is a Moral, Ethical, and Proper Social Policy When it is carried out with a competent physician in attendance and appropriate family members understand the decision and the desire of the ill person -- or there has been a written request by the infirmed person that a doctor-assisted death is what she or he desired -- euthanasia is a moral, ethical and proper policy. It offers a merciful end to
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