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Module 3: Analyzing Ethical
Challenges in Pediatric
End-of-life Decision Making
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ACTIVITY 4:
SEMINAR
Using and Forgoing Medically Provided Nutrition and Hydration
Description
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The purpose of this seminar is to explore the special issues that
surround the withholding or withdrawal of medically provided nutrition
and hydration in children with life-threatening illness or injury,
and to establish the ethical permissibility of such decisions under
certain circumstances. The special symbolic significance of nutrition
and hydration in pediatrics is recognized and explored. Then participants
discuss a challenging case, drawing on a conceptual framework introduced
in Activity 3.2: Deciding When to Use or Forgo Life-Sustaining Treatments.
The goal is to recognize that, ethically speaking, this form of
life-sustaining therapy is essentially the same as any other, although
it may be more psychologically difficult to decide to forgo it.
Finally, participants brainstorm and discuss specific strategies
to support parents and professionals when a decision is made to
forgo medically provided nutrition and hydration in a dying child.
Learning Objectives
As a result of this seminar, participants will:
- Recognize that medically provided nutrition and hydration are interventions that can be forgone under appropriate circumstances.
- Acknowledge the special symbolic nature of nutrition and hydration, especially in pediatrics, which makes withdrawal of these interventions more difficult.
- List practical strategies to support parents and professionals when a decision is made to forgo medically provided nutrition and hydration.
[Go to Activity 1]
[Go to Activity 2]
[Go to Activity 3]
[Go to Activity 5]
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Module 4 |
Module 5
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An Initiative of the Center for Applied Ethics at EDC, Inc.
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