End of Life Decisions

End of life decisions is significant not only to the patients but also to the families of the patients. Thus, end of life policies and legislation play an integral role in ensuring that patients receive the right healthcare that they need during the dying process. Unlike several decades ago, medical interventions ensure that end of life patients have different medical options that influence when, where and how they die. Lund, Richardson & May, (2015) argue that in many end of life cases, the patient has little or no hope of recovery or a purposeful existence. However, intervention can sustain lives even at this point. According to Adams et. al, (2014) the primary objective of an end of life care is to ensure that patients receive the best possible care during their end of life phase as well as allow individuals to die in a manner they feel dignified.

The diverse regulations and controls give patients the opportunity to communicate their wills and give directives on what they wish or do not wish in the occasion of them been incapacitated. Physicians are obligated to act in accordance with these measures. These regulations and controls ensure that patients are not kept on life support or live an extended but miserable life due to pain. It would be unfair to perform the process with a patient who is not ready. Virtually every end of life patient spends their last days in critical care settings. Nurses spend their entire shifts with patients and families during the dying process (Lewis, 2013). Nurses are critical in the dying process as they develop trusting relationships with not only the patients but also the families.