Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:The Culture of Health Care
Unit:Ethics and Professionalism
Lecture:Contemporary topics in medical ethics
Slide content:End-of-Life Issues Definition of death can be unclear Can a person be alive if his/her heart has stopped beating? Can a person be dead if he/she is still breathing? Other prominent end-of-life issues Medical futility Advance directives 8
Slide notes:One definition of death is the point at which vital physical functions cease. However, medical advances have made it possible to blur the line between life and death. Cardiac resuscitation has made it possible to restart a dead heart. Ventilators have made it possible to keep a body breathing after brain function has ended. There are a multitude of ethical issues about how death is defined and when an individual person can be considered dead. The next few slides look at two other prominent issues related to end-of-life care: medical futility and advance directives. 8