tailieunhanh - Withholding and Withdrawing Life-prolonging Medical Treatment Guidance for decision making Second edition

In medicine, decisions are made on a daily basis about the provision, withholding or withdrawing of treatments, many of which could prolong life. Treatments which could provide a therapeutic benefit are not inevitably given but are weighed according to a number of factors, such as the patient’s wishes, the treatment’s invasiveness, side effects, limits of efficacy and the resources available. In relation to many conditions, a body of accepted practice has been building about the criteria for treatment and non-treatment decisions. Nevertheless, the BMA is concerned that comprehensive guidance outlining the criteria and steps to be followed in making these decisions, particularly where the decision involves assessing the best interests of. | Withholding and Withdrawing Life-prolonging Medical Treatment Guidance for Decision Making British Medical Association BMJ Books Withholding and Withdrawing Life-prolonging Medical Treatment Guidance for decision making Second edition incorporating guidance on the Human Rights Act British Medical Association BMJ Books 2001 BMJ Books is an imprint of the BMJ Publishing Group All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording and or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers. First published in 1999 by BMJ Books BMA House Tavistock Square London WC1H 9JR First edition 1999 Second edition 2001 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0-7279-1615-7 Typeset by FiSH Books London Printed and bound by MPG Books Bodmin .