Choose Life as Life is Sacred

Your life is sacred and so are the lives of others, when it involves the choice between life and death.

Maybe you have suddenly become involved in an emergency medical scenario or a long-term health care situation, where you have to make a decision about prolonging your own life or that of others. Perhaps you really do not know how to respond. You turn to your physician for advice.

Respecting the wishes of the dying is extremely important to physicians.

Many of them, as well as registered nurses and other health care professionals, regard life as being sacred and will do everything they can possibly do to help patients who are dying. Physicians are the experts to consult about how to sustain life, as well as enhance it.

They are also there to assist patients through the difficult decision-making process, regarding physician or medical orders about life-sustaining treatment. Physicians routinely give orders to registered nurses and other health care professionals that reflect patients' preferences with regard to receiving life-sustaining treatment.

*Note that ideally, all patients will receive life-sustaining treatment from physicians and registered nurses, as well as other health care professionals, unless a physician has given a written, medical order stating otherwise. This constitutes a 'do not resuscitate' order.

A patient has the option of refusing to allow life-sustaining treatment.

A patient can also ask his or her physician to write an order stating, 'do not resuscitate'. He or she can request to sign a legal document, witnessed by a medical professional. The 'DNR' request then becomes part of that patient's chart.

Medical professionals, on all levels of health care, are dedicated to saving the lives of their patients. They will also attempt to ensure the quality of the lives of the patients. This means that if a patient does survive a medical ordeal of some kind, through life-sustaining measures, medical professionals will assist the patient to attain the highest possible quality of life, as well.

A 'do not resuscitate' order or a request by a patient not to receive life-sustaining measures, is always a serious matter. The patient and his or her family must understand what this means in terms of life and death.

Health care professionals face different kinds of medical dilemmas involving life and death, every day. Respecting the wishes of the dying, with regard to life sustaining treatment, is extremely important

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