Nursing Ethics

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, medical technology has advanced enough to provide certain measures to keep the body "alive," but not necessarily the brain or the cognitive functions that make up quality of life (O'Keefe-McCarthy, 2009). Despite the fact that death is a cyclical part of life, humans still have a very difficult time dealing with issues surrounding terminal illness: hospice, do not resuscitate, costs for survival, euthanasia, and conversations about end of life planning. For the modern Nurse leader, the core of the philosophical and psychological debate seems to focus on two viewpoints. One believes that the individual has control over their body and the decisions surrounding their quality of life. The other view takes on a more moral and religious stance, believing that life is divinely created and that nurses and doctors, in particular, have society's trust and the responsibility to preserve life...
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