Autonomy is one of the ethical

Running head: END OF LIFE CARE 1
Palliative care
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END OF LIFE CARE 2
Introduction
Palliative care is an approach that is offered to patients who is at the end of life stage so
that to prolong their stay by improving their quality of life and reduce the suffering associated
with their illnesses. It is an end of life care that ensures that a person is free from pain and dies
with dignity. A healthcare practitioner providing the end of care services to such a patient must
observe the patient’s wishes, cultural beliefs, and ethical considerations (Rosenwax, Spilsbury,
McNamara & Semmens, 2016). This paper will focus on the collaborative of multidisciplinary
teams involved in making the decision about the services required, cultural beliefs, and traditions
while taking care of the patient. It will entail on the ethical and cultural believes adhered to by
the interdisciplinary team in providing end of life care to John, who is a 20-year-old Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander patient living with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (Morton et al.,
2016).
Ethical and collaborative decision making
This involves the interdisciplinary team collaborating in interpreting and considering
John's decision to return home without more palliative treatments in the hospital. The healthcare
professionals who are involved in the interdisciplinary team include; dietitians, surgeons,
registered nurses, consultants, general practitioner physicians, pharmacists, and psychiatrists.
All these health professional teams play very important roles in caring for John during his last
days of life, as indicated in the case study. Autonomy is one of the ethical consideration that is
important in John’s end of life care to make him comfortable. It involves consideration of a
person to make his/her own decision through deliberation (Albers et al., 2016).

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The team has to avail of all the information and the decision they have made for John so
that he can be prepared and accept or reject them. It is unethical to decide or go contrary to
John’s requirements or decisions about his final life. Since John is in his sound mind, he can
choose any and decide for himself. As per John’s case, he has already decided to spend the
remaining part of his life at home. He decided to go home with no further treatment. This
decision made by the patient should be respected, and the healthcare practitioners are supposed
to respect his decision while advising him on the importance of the treatment in the hospital and
how the health status will be while at home. The multidisciplinary team must arrange on how to
support John to cope with his health status and provide maximum palliative care while at home
(Sagin, Kirkpatrick, Pisani, Fahlberg, Sundlof & O'Connor, 2016).
The other ethical principle that the healthcare team should consider is the patient’s
beneficence. This is because some family members may be experiencing some financial
problems while the patient requires palliative care. The team should consider balancing the cost
and risk while providing care to John. Among the responsibilities of the healthcare team taking
care of John is proper coordination of treatments, nutritional support, and providing medication.
John is not likely to benefits from the treatments since he decided to be at home. It is necessary
to discuss the best recommendations for Johns’ care services. The discussion must involve the
collaboration of the healthcare team, the family, and the patient to determine how John will
receive quality health services. According to John decision to go home, a psychiatrist is very
important in helping John by advising him on the importance of treatment and medication even if
he is at home (Prince-Paul, & Daly, 2016).
Justice is also another ethical issue the healthcare provider to John has to adhere to while
taking care of him. It will be fair if the healthcare team make a conclusion with the family of