You are a student nurse caring for a terminally ill patient who was in intractable pain. The staff nurse administered a high dose of pain medication to the patient, who died less than 30 minutes later. The nurse explained to you that the hastening of the patient's death was foreseen but was not the intended effect of the administration of the dose of pain medication. This is an example of:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The rule of double effect refers to a situation where a treatment intended to relieve pain may also hasten death, but the primary intention is to alleviate suffering, not to cause death.

You Are a Student Nurse Caring for a Terminally Ill