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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
5 pages in length. Tube feeding, an invasive way in which to force nutrients into the system, is routinely utilized as a manner by which to keep otherwise terminally ill patients alive. Understanding the nature of the act, as well as acknowledging the ethical implications of such an heroic – if not overstepping – measure, causes one to consider if such nursing intervention is warranted when compared to the patient's diminished quality of life. Bibliography lists 8 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: LM1_TLCTubeF.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
the nature of the act, as well as acknowledging the ethical implications of such an heroic - if not overstepping - measure, causes one to consider if such nursing intervention
is warranted when compared to the patients diminished quality of life, inasmuch as a recent study indicates how it "failed to achieve any clinically meaningful improvement on common measures of
functional status, nutritional status or subjective health status" (Anonymous, 2000, p. 19). Since the very first move toward humanizing the medical industry, quality
of life has been a standard for measuring a patients outcome. Indeed, while there may be medical procedures like tube feeding still to be applied to a particular disease
or condition, the individuals quality of life must first be considered before deciding to implement further intervention. What is quality of life and why is it so important to
patient care in the context of tube feeding the elderly? "Quality of life (QOL) is a complex, abstract, and multidimensional concept that is difficult to define and measure.
Consequently, various conceptual and operational definitions have been used in quality of life studies" (Anonymous, 2001). In the context of patient care, quality of life represents the extent to
which an individual can continue living his or her normal existence without the overwhelming presence of invasive medical procedures or treatments like tube feeding. For example, a terminally ill patient
whose prognosis is six months to a year may be worse off with nurses trying to extend his or her life by way of tube feeding if that action only
delays the inevitable. In assessing this individuals quality of life, it is important to examine what is significant in his or her life in order to understand certain requirements
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