As the practice of medicine becomes more complex, the health care team will increasingly be exposed to bioethical dilemmas in the care of the seriously ill patient. Among other issues, the much publicized Cruzan case has highlighted the concept of "advanced directives" whereby patients make known their wishes concerning life-sustaining therapies in the event they become incompetent during hospital treatment. This article will focus on the current form of these directives and the significance they have for the nutrition support team.
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President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research, Deciding to Forego Life-Sustaining Treatment. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1983.
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