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32.7: Key Terms

  • Page ID
    111641
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    bereavement
    period of time when one mourns a loss
    do-not-intubate (DNI)
    order stating the patient does not want to be placed on a ventilator if they are unable to breathe independently
    do-not-resuscitate (DNR)
    order stating the patient does not want CPR conducted if their heart stops
    durable power of attorney (DPOA)
    document enabling the patient to list a specific individual whom they entrust to make financial and health-care decisions when they are no longer able to do so
    euthanasia
    act by an individual to cause death, such as directly administering a lethal dose of a medication; illegal throughout the United States
    grief
    emotional state that follows a loss
    health-care proxy
    person designated in a durable power of attorney document to make health-related decisions for a patient who is no longer able to make their own decisions
    holistic care
    care for the whole person, including body, mind, spirit, and emotions
    hospice care
    specific type of palliative care for patients nearing the end of life, encompassing physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs and desires
    Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST)
    program with a goal of improving quality of care for patients at the end of life by enabling them to specify their goals and preferences via a transferrable form; known in some states as POLST
    mourning
    external actions taken to express one’s grief, such as wearing black
    palliation
    effort to alleviate suffering and enhance quality of life for patients with serious, often progressive, illnesses
    palliative care
    comfort care provided when a serious illness is no longer responding to treatment
    Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)
    program with a goal of improving quality of care for patients at the end of life by enabling them to specify their goals and preferences; known in some states as MOLST
    provider-assisted death
    use of pharmacological agents prescribed by a health-care provider to hasten death; legal in certain US states and jurisdictions
    respite care
    period of rest for a caregiver in which the patient temporarily resides in a skilled nursing facility before returning home
    shadow grief
    unresolved sadness

    This page titled 32.7: Key Terms is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by OpenStax.

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