Ethics News Article Summary

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THE ROLE OF NURSES WHEN PATIENTS DECIDE TO END THEIR LIVES.

Zizette C. Howard

Department of Nursing Herzing University

NM 410: Ethics In Nursing

Professor: Sandie Yeager

February 8, 2022

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The role of nurses when patients decide to end their lives.

Introduction.

The role of nurses in euthanasia ranges from assessing a request for euthanasia, helping

patients during euthanasia, decision making, and caring for patient’s family members after

euthanasia (Cayetano-Penman et al., 2021). However, the debate of whether nurses should be

present when the patient is taking the end-of-life dose has raised a couple of ethical issues. The

willingness of nurses to participate during the administration of the lethal drugs also varies.

Nurses are the care professionals that work closely with patients and families and are involved in

the care of dying patients. Therefore, nurses understand various aspects of the patient including

their needs, anxieties, and questions. Thus, they should be present when a patient is taking the

end-of-life dose to provide support for the family members.

Thesis statement.

Nurses play a critical role in the care of terminal patients, therefore, they are most likely to be

confronted with euthanasia requests. This paper discusses why nurses should be present during

the dying process of the patient.

The summary of the article.

The article is about whether nurses should be allowed to participate during the dying

process of a patient ("role of nurses when patients decide to end their lives, 2019). Ben Wald a

75-year-old man who was diagnosed with colon cancer requested euthanasia when he was ready

to end his life. His wife needed someone knowledgeable to be with her husband was dying.

Linda, Wald’s hospice nurse was not allowed by the hospice organization to be present during

the process ("role of nurses when patients decide to end their lives, 2019).. Wald’s wife had to

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request aid in dying from an advocacy group. This raised questions on the role of nurses during

euthanasia. Should hospice care nurses be present when a patient is dying? What role do nurses

play at the end of the life journey of a patient?

Why nurses should be present during the patient’s dying process?

The role of nurses in euthanasia does not only involve the administration of lethal drugs

but also decision-making, performing euthanasia, and aftercare (Pesut et al., 2020). Dying is a

process that entails the cessation of psychological, physical, spiritual, and social life. Family

members may be scared to be left alone with their dying patient because some uncertainties with

the process may arise. Therefore, nurses should be involved to educate and support family

members and the patient during their last phase of life. During the imminent period, the presence

of a nurse is critical because the phase affects the family's memories of their loved one. Nurses

should try their best to make it as smooth as possible to allow the family to let their loved ones

rest easily (Pesut et al., 2020). At this stage, nurses are required to do a thorough assessment,

quick response to changes, quick administration of medication, and rapidly provide the

interventions that promote comfort.

There are various features related to the dying process that hospice care nurses have

grown accustomed to. The sounds and changes that occur during the dying process which family

members and other clinicians may find distressing and frightening (Cayetano-Penman et al.,

2021). The most important role of nurses during the dying process is to provide care and support

for family members. This support will help the family members to deal with the distressing

things they have witnessed. Therefore, creating a positive impact on their loved one’s death.

Nurses cannot guarantee a smooth death for a dying patient but they get prepared to respond to

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and manage symptoms during the process to ease the process for the patients and family. The

main role during the process is to assist the patients to have a good death as they wished.

Opposing view.

Without a nurse during the dying process patients can be terrified leading to the creation

of negative impacts on their loved one's death. From the article, Mr. Wald's wife needed

someone knowledgeable to offer support when her husband was dying. This shows that dealing

with death is not easy for the family because they do not understand the dying process.

Therefore, nurses should be allowed to participate in the whole process of euthanasia. The

nurses’ role extends to aftercare, where they provide support to the family after the death of their

loved one.

Conclusion.

Nurses play an important role in euthanasia. Nurses have the responsibility to facilitate

their patient's dying wishes. However, they cannot guarantee patients and families that the

process will be smooth. The complications of advanced diseases vary from patient to patient.

There are changes and frightening situations during the dying process that may require the

presence of nurses to assure quick response and support for family members. Therefore, nurses’

presence during the dying process of a patient is essential not only for the patient but also for the

family members.

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References.

Cayetano-Penman, J., Malik, G., & Whittall, D. (2021). Nurses’ perceptions and attitudes about

euthanasia: a scoping review. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 39(1), 66-84.

Pesut, B., Greig, M., Thorne, S., Storch, J., Burgess, M., Tishelman, C., ... & Janke, R. (2020).

Nursing and euthanasia: A narrative review of the nursing ethics literature. Nursing

ethics, 27(1), 152-167.

The role of nurses when patients decide to end their lives (Published 2019). (2019, September 6).

The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and

Videos. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/well/live/the-role-of-nurses-when-patients-

decide-to-end-their-lives.amp.html