Question 1

The act or practice of painlessly putting to death a person suffering from an incurable condition is ___________.

Accepted Answer

Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a person's life to relieve them from an incurable and painful condition.

Question 2

The removal of nasogastric feeding tubes from a mentally competent patient to legally hasten death has been described as ___________.

Accepted Answer

Passive euthanasia involves withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatments, such as a nasogastric feeding tube, allowing a patient to die naturally.

Question 3

An order written by a physician and placed on the medical chart of a patient, indicating that in the event of a cardiac or respiratory arrest, no resuscitative measures should be employed to revive the patient is a/an ___________.

Accepted Answer

A DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order is a medical order written by a physician indicating that no resuscitative measures should be taken in the event of a cardiac or respiratory arrest.

Question 4

The first state to enact living will legislation was ___________.

Accepted Answer

California was the first state to enact living will legislation in 1976.

Question 5

Euthanasia originated from the Greek word euthanatos, meaning ___________.

Accepted Answer

The term "euthanasia" comes from the Greek words "eu" meaning good and "thanatos" meaning death, thus it means "good death."

Question 6

The ___________ held in June 1990 that the U.S. Constitution does not forbid Missouri from requiring that there be clear and convincing evidence of an incompetent's wishes as to the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment before removing such treatment.

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Supreme Court held in the case of Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health that the Constitution does not forbid Missouri from requiring clear and convincing evidence of an incompetent's wishes regarding the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment.

Question 7

The ___________ of 1990 provides that patients have a right to formulate advance directives and to make decisions regarding their health care.

Accepted Answer

The Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990 ensures that patients are informed of their rights to make decisions about their own health care, including the right to create advance directives.

Question 8

A ___________ permits one individual, known as the "principal," to give to another person, called the "attorney-in-fact," the authority to act on his or her behalf.

Accepted Answer

A durable power of attorney allows a principal to grant an attorney-in-fact the authority to act on their behalf, even if the principal becomes incapacitated.

Question 9

The ___________ published a report outlining the symptoms of an irreversible coma.

Accepted Answer

The Harvard ad hoc committee on brain death published a report in 1968 that outlined the criteria for diagnosing an irreversible coma, which contributed to the understanding and definition of brain death.

Question 10

___________ are instructions given by individuals specifying what actions they want taken for their health in the event that they are no longer able to make healthcare decisions as a result of illness or incapacity.

Accepted Answer

Advance directives for health care are legal documents that allow individuals to outline their preferences for medical treatment and care in situations where they are unable to communicate their decisions due to illness or incapacity.

Question 11

If a patient has been informed that without a blood transfusion she will die, she refuses blood, and the court orders the transfusion, the order is wrong based on the patient's right ___________.

Accepted Answer

The patient's right to bodily self-determination allows her to refuse medical treatment, including a blood transfusion, even if it results in her death.

Question 12

The ___________ strives to provide viable alternatives that will lead to the optimal resolution of many difficult dilemmas facing patients, including end-of-life issues.

Accepted Answer

The ethics committee is responsible for addressing ethical issues and dilemmas in healthcare, including end-of-life decisions, by providing guidance and recommendations.

Question 13

The In re Quinlan case was so significant because

Accepted Answer

The answer of The In re Quinlan case was so...

Question 14

___________ is a form of surrogate decision-making where the surrogate attempts to establish what decision the patient would have made if that patient were competent to make a decision.

Accepted Answer

Substituted judgment is a decision-making process used by surrogates to make decisions based on what the patient would have wanted if they were able to make the decision themselves.

Question 15

In a departure from the Quinlan decision, the necessity for court intervention, and an incompetent's right to refuse treatment, this case decided that judicial proceedings should take place only when medical treatment can offer a reasonable expectation of cure or relief from the illness.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a departure from the Quinlan decision,...

Question 16

The cases dealing with euthanasia lead to the public, courts, and religious groups wanting to know the legal definition of death. In 1974, the AMA accepted death as ___________.

Accepted Answer

In 1974, the American Medical Association (AMA) accepted the definition of death as the cessation of all brain function, including the brain stem, which is known as brain death.

Question 17

In order for courts to determine that an incompetent person desired to decline extraordinary medical care, that desire would be best served if the patient ___________.

Accepted Answer

A living will is a legal document that outlines a person's preferences for medical treatment in situations where they are unable to communicate their decisions, thus providing clear evidence of their desires regarding extraordinary medical care.

Question 18

If a person is comatose and incompetent to express their right to refuse medical treatment, those appointed to render their best judgment concerning how the patient would assert that right would be doing so under ___________.

Accepted Answer

The substituted judgment doctrine allows a surrogate decision-maker to attempt to establish what decision the patient would have made if they were competent, based on the patient's values and preferences.

Question 19

Once a ___________ is executed by a competent patient and filed with the hospital, it will allow the hospital to withdraw life support from a patient who falls into an irreversible coma.

Accepted Answer

A living will is a legal document that outlines a person's wishes regarding medical treatment in situations where they are no longer able to express informed consent, such as being in an irreversible coma.

Question 20

Physician assisted death is an example of ___________.

Accepted Answer

Physician assisted death involves a doctor providing a patient with the means to end their own life, which is considered a form of active euthanasia.

Quiz 16: End of Life Issues