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Explore bioethics, laws, and the process of advance care planning in this comprehensive class. Learn about completing advance health care directives, selecting a health care agent, and the differences between advance directives and POLST. Understand ethical duties in medical decision-making, including autonomy, harm prevention, and providing benefit. Discover federal and California laws regarding patient rights and the creation of advance directives, as well as the activation process and the duties of a health care agent. Dive into important decisions regarding end-of-life care, POLST, and the role of advance directives versus POLST.
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What you will learn in this class: • Bioethics/Laws • Advance Care Planning • Completing an Advance Health Care Directive • Choosing a health care agent • Advance Directive vs. Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)
Common Questions • What is Advance Care Planning? • How do I complete an Advance Health Care Directive? • How do I go about making such important decisions?
Ethical Duties that Guide Medical Decision Making: • Respect for Persons “autonomy” • Do no harm • Provide Benefit • Fairness
Laws Federal Law: Patient Self-Determination Act of 1991 • Patients right to accept/refuse treatment • Upholds the right to create advance directives California Rights: CA Health Care Decisions Law: AB 891 • The law includes a form-Advance Health Care Directive
Advance Health Care Directive A form you complete that states your desires and beliefs about treatment which includes: • Who will make health care decisions for you • Your beliefs about organ donation • The name of your primary physician • Person completing the advance directive must be: • a California resident • at least 18 years old • of sound mind
When Is Your Advance Directive Activated? When a patient loses “decisional capacity” • Ability to understand • Ability to organize information • Ability to communicate a response • Ability to deliberate according to one’s belief system, values, and attitudes
Advance Care Planning Continuum Age 18 Complete an Advance Directive C O N V E R S A T I O N Update Advance Directive Periodically Diagnosed with Serious or Chronic, Progressive Illness (at any age) Complete a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Form End-of-Life Wishes Honored
What is POLST? Physician Order for Life Sustaining Treatment recognized throughout the medical system • Brightly colored, standardized form for entire state of CA • Portable document that transfers with the patient • Provides direction for a range of end-of-life medical treatments
5 “D’s” to Update an Advance Directive When you… Divorce reach a new Decade receive a new Diagnosis have a Decline in your condition experience a Death of a close relative or friend
Complete Advance Directive • The doctor will provide you with all the information necessary to make an informed treatment decision • You should know about your disease process and longevity • What to expect with or without treatment
Complete Advance Directive“Advance Medical Directives” - Staywell Company
Who is the best Health Care Agent for Me? Someone who: • I trust to carry out my wishes • is emotionally stable • is an effective communicator • REALLY knows me and can support my treatment choices Your agent cannot be: • your doctor or health care provider • an employee of your doctor/hospital/ nursing home unless related
Health Care Agent Duties/Obligations To ensure that your medical treatment wishes are followed using two standards: • “substituted judgment” decided as YOU would decide • “best interests assessment” if your wishes are unknown, agent needs to consider your beliefs and what is important to you • quality of life • extent of suffering • prognosis
Can: choose life-sustaining and other treatment for you refuse life-sustaining and other treatment for you agree that a treatment you are having should be stopped access and release your medical records request an autopsy donate your organs (unless stated otherwise) Cannot: commit you to a psychiatric hospital agree to electric shock treatment consent for psychosurgery consent for sterilization consent for abortion Health Care Agent Duties/Obligations
Cure of disease Avoidance of premature death Maintenance or improvement in function Prolongation of life Relief of suffering Quality of life Staying in control A good death Potential Goals of Treatment
Expectations / Quality of Life • A treatment can produce an effect, but, is it providing what I believe to be a benefit? • Contributing to a life that I deem acceptable?
(DNR)Do Not Resuscitate Orders A medical order to refrain from CPR if your heart stops beating -- it does not mean that other treatments will be stopped CPR will be attempted unless there is a DNR order in your medical chart
Why Choose DNR? • When CPR won’t restore function of heart or lungs • When death is expected due to irreversible medical condition • terminal illness • permanent unconsciousness • irreversible organ failure with survival not likely
Palliative Care/ Hospice • Pain/ symptom control • Spiritual Care • Psychosocial Care
Procedures to restart the heart and breathing, like mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, external chest compressions, electric shock, insertion of tube to open airway, injection of medication into the heart, open chest heart massage Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Pressors • Medicines that control one’s blood pressure • Use of pressors in the ICU is generally for making blood pressure go up • What are the benefits of pressors? • What are the burdens of pressors?
Quality of Life/ Values • What do you fear most about illness? • How would you feel if you lost your independence? Mental alertness? Physical abilities? Financial independence? • How would you feel if you could not engage in the activities you enjoy? • How would you feel if you could not interact with the people you love? • How do you feel about being cared for in a nursing home?
Beliefs • What are your beliefs about life and death? • Does your religion, culture, spiritual beliefs strongly guide you in decisions about life and death? • What role do pain and suffering occupy in your life? • What is the role of medical technology in prolonging life?
What you learned in class: • Bioethics/Laws • Advance Care Planning • Completing an Advance Health Care Directive • Choosing a health care agent • Advance Directive vs. Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)
Now What do I Do? • Discuss with your primary doctor and/or specialist any questions, worries, issues about your health before you fill out your advance directive • Discuss your wishes and advance directives with your surrogate(s) and close family members, ensuring that they can and will follow your wishes in the event you cannot speak for yourself • Fill out the directive
Now What do I Do? • Sign and date it before 2 witnesses or a notary public • Make copies for yourself, your surrogate (s), your doctor, your family, your lawyer - keep original in an accessible place (not a safe-deposit box) • Mail your form to: Kaiser Medical Office Records 7385 Mission Gorge Road San Diego, CA 92120
Kaiser Permanente Resources • KP Web Site www.kp.org • http://www.permanente.net/homepage/kaiser/pdf/44666.pdf • www.kp.org/healthylifestyles(personalized programs for weight loss, smoking cessation, stress reduction, nutrition) • Healthier Living Class 619-641-4194 • Positive Choice -Weight Mgmt. 858-573-0090 • Health Education - Quit Smoking Program & many other programs for health and well-being 619-641-4194
Paula Goodman-Crews, M.S.W., L.C.S.W. Medical Bioethics Director Kaiser Permanente, San Diego voice-mail: 619-528-5213
Michael Markman MD Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine Kaiser Permanente, San Diego