should patients be able to choose to end their life if they are in pain and dying

Nurses General Nursing

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Should pts be able to choose to end their life if they are in pain and dying I do because they shouldn't have to cope with been in pain and they should be given the choice to die naturally or with help in ending it:cry:

Specializes in CVICU.

Who here would honestly want to give a lethal injection to someone dying anyway? I wouldn't want that on my conscience.

I admit, it would be rough.. probably not as bad as the poor person giving an inmate a lethal injection, but still.

I will say that I've had my fair share of patients tell me to "kill me" or "let me die" among other things. Given how badly these people are suffering, I sometimes wish I could help them, but obviously that is not my role. I honestly don't know if I could actually push the drugs which would cause someone to die. Then again, I've pushed 10 mg of morphine on an actively dying patient to help relieve pain and suffering in their last moments of life. While this doesn't directly kill the patient, it does suppress their respiratory system, which probably hastens death. However, this type of treatment is perfectly legal and in my opinion, very ethical, since it is inevitable that the person will die (typically in less than 24 hours), and I like making them as comfortable as possible in their last moments... not to mention families never like seeing their loved one suffer, and there is a lot of suffering that occurs when someone is actively dying (i.e. after withdrawing the ventilator, pressors, etc).

How do you Hospice and other nurses who frequently give these large doses of narcotics in an actively dying patient feel about this? I actually had a nurse tell me once that she only gave like 2 mg of IV morphine to an actively dying patient because she "didn't want to kill them."

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On a related note. Does anyone know if it is true that slowly bleeding to death is painless? I've heard that the victim just falls asleep and doesn't wake up. If that is true I think it would be the way I would want to go.

yes, it is painless.

think how tired you get from anemia, and multiply that by 100.

leslie

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YES! and be allowed access to (ANY) and ALL pain and comfort measures... known to man.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Yes, each person should have the right to determine how they live AND die. From a medical standpoint, I would only support euthanasia if 1) the patient is in the final stages of terminal illness with no hope of recovery, 2) is in severe pain or otherwise greatly suffering 3) has had a psych consult to ensure that there is not any underlying MH conditon that may be influencing them (depression, etc.), and 4) the family understands and respects the wishes, although I do not think it should be denied if the family does not agree with the individual, they should just be required to have "the talk" and make sure it is not done behind the family's back to avoid repercussions for the medical provider. If those conditions are met, I see no problem with it. I would prefer that the method be something the patient can self-administer (something sublingual, maybe), as I agree that many healthcare providers would have a problem in being the one to push a lethal med. Some physicians would not feel they could in good conscious write the script either, probably for religious reasons, and I feel they should have the right to refuse.

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Specializes in ICU, Education, Peri-op.

i live in oregon, the first state to legalize doctor assisted suicide (washington state very recently, passed a similar law). there was a huge debate when this issue was passed. it went all the way to the supreme court. people thought that it would cause all sorts of problems and that people would be dying left and right but you know what, it hasn't. it is actually very, very rarely used and i never read anything about it anymore.

i am in favor of people having the right to choose to end their suffering and i would certainly make that choice for myself. my husband, at this point, would not. he is a healthy, middle age guy who has never had surgery or even broken a bone. in other words, he has never experienced significant pain. i wonder, if people could feel for one minute, the pain an end stage cancer patient feels all the time and will continue to feel until they die---would anyone be against the end to that.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Should pts be able to choose to end their life if they are in pain and dying I do because they shouldn't have to cope with been in pain and they should be given the choice to die naturally or with help in ending it:cry:

The issue isn't whether "patients are able to choose to end their lives"... they certainly are. The issue is whether other people have the right to help them. I'm of the opinion that such help should be available to those who choose it.

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Indeed... If a person wants to end their life but is physically unable to do so someone should be available to help them.

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CdaleJekyll--

I had a hospice pt die from a GI bleed...it was one of the most peaceful deaths I've seen.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

I love nursing and have 'helped' dying pts feel more comfortable by giving prescribed pain medication. I have no issue with giving these kind of medicines to make a pt comfortable but I wouldnt be prepared to administer any lethal injection if you get my meaning.

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Specializes in LTC.

When I become a nurse I think that I would be against " assisted suicide". I do believe that patients should not feel pain and should be given pain meds ATC.

Nurses are NEVER allowed to allowed to give a lethal injection. This is illegal and against the law ( at least where I live).

When I worked in hospice the patients were given drugs that would be illegal on the streets to help them with pain and to make them feel good. Thats as far as I would go.

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Specializes in Acute Care.

We are decades away from pt's being able to decide they want to be euthanized. It's a mine field. How often do you really think that a patient and a patients family and the primary care physician are all going to agree that a pt should be euthanized? Who's going to do it?

There is no real reason in this day and age that a pt should have to be in agonizing pain. The real focus needs to be on pain control. As caregivers we are not in a position to assist in anyones life ending unnaturally. The reasons why, are too numerous to mention. Even if you put completely aside the moral issues involved in this and any religious ideations, which you can't, who would decide what patients qualify to be euthanized. If a seven year old with cancer wants to be euthanized will that be honored? Can a father for a 21 year old, mentally handicapped person decide their child needs to be euthanized? If not, why not? Do you see where this is leading?

You just can't compare pets to people.

Here's why....

Euthanasia in pets is an option that occurs outside of what the animal feels about it. If a dog were to be able to say. I want to be euthanized it would be diffrent. If a dog were able to say, "my pain is a 10/10" that could be addressed as well. It's unlikely that we'll soon see a hospice for pets, where pain control is monitored.

We can offer pain control. We can offer support, loving kindness. We can not become the ministers of death. My opinion.

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Specializes in CMSRN.

The question asked of the op may not bring up a big debate here on allnurses. I would guesstimate to say that many nurses are for it. Mainly because of what we see on a regular basis. (I am just guessing, I may be wrong)

There are alot of what ifs and dying is such an individual thing. With all the the variables in the right place I do not see why anyone could not end their life as they see fit.

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