End-of-Life Decisions

Write an article for a community newsletter for a local retirement village that explains the laws, policies, and choices surrounding end-of-life health care decisions.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 1: Explain the effect of health care policies, legislation, and legal issues on health care delivery and patient outcomes.
  • Identify the primary policies that define current health care practices in regard to end-of-life health care decisions.
  • Explain the legislation that generated end-of-life health care policies.
• Competency 2: Explain the effect of regulatory environments and controls on health care delivery and patient outcomes.
  • Explain the effect of end-of-life regulations and controls on patient outcomes.
• Competency 3: Apply professional nursing ethical standards and principles to the decision-making process.
  • Describe the role of the nurse in end-of-life decision making with patients and their families.
  • Describe the ethical considerations that have influenced policy decisions in regard to end-of-life decisions.
• Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is consistent with expectations of nursing professionals.
  •  Write content clearly and logically, with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
  • Correctly format citations and references using APA style.

To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community.

• How should nurses manage patients whose end-of-life decisions may run contrary to their personal beliefs and values?
• How can nurses influence new policies, laws, or legislation regarding end-of life decisions?
• What are some of the most difficult decisions patients and families have to make at the end of the patient's life?

Your manager asked you to prepare an article for a community newsletter for a local retirement village. The editor wants you to talk about the laws, policies, and choices surrounding end-of-life health care decisions

Preparation 

Search the Internet for scholarly and professional peer-reviewed articles on end-of-life care. You will need at least three articles to use as support for your work on this assessment.

Directions

Write an article of 750–1,000 words 4 pages) that discusses the laws, policies, and choices surrounding end-of-life health care decisions. Address the following in your article: 

• Describe the role of the nurse in end-of-life decision making with patients and their families.
• Explain the legislation that generated end-of-life health care policies. Was the legislation an outcome of a specific medical case?
• Identify the primary policies regarding current health care practices related to end-of-life health care decisions. How to these policies affect treatment decisions?
• Explain the effect of end-of-life regulations and controls on patient outcomes. What effect does this have on the nurse-patient relationship?
• Describe the ethical considerations that have influenced policy decisions in regard to end-of-life decisions.

Additional Requirements

Your article should meet the following requirements:

• Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• References: Cite a minimum of three resources; a majority of these should be peer-reviewed sources. Your reference list should be appropriate to the body of literature available on this topic that has been published in the past 5 years.
• APA format: Resources and citations should be formatted according to current APA style and formatting.
• Length: 750–1,000 words or 3–4 typed, double-spaced pages, excluding title page and reference page. Use Microsoft Word to complete the assessment.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.