Developments are taking place in palliative care in which 'patient choice' has become a central idea, and patients have an enlarged idea of their best interests. This book creates debate among all those involved in care of the terminally ill, including specialists, policy makers, researchers and ethicists.

Experts analyze death-related issues and policies in twelve countries, discussing health care costs, advance directives, pain management, cultural, social, and religious factors, and other topics.

Legal change on the provision of assisted dying by healthcare professionals has occurred in a substantial number of jurisdictions. This work brings together contributions on end of life choices from experienced professionals from oncology disciplines, palliative care, law, nursing and professions allied to medicine. The goals are: • To better inform cancer care professionals and the wider community about developments in choices in end of life care for cancer patients internationally. • To better answer questions from patients and respond to their requests, including questions about and requests for assisted dying in countries where it is legal. • To have a balanced and well-informed dialogue about choices available to patients, without developing a formal policy position on change in law. • To provide a basis of information for future educational activities.

Questions that face dying individuals, their families, and the professionals that help them at the end of their lives are explored in this volume. The contributors help the reader to come to terms with issues of mortality complicated by the diversity of cultures within society.

Decision Making near the End of Life provides a comprehensive overview of the recent developments that have impacted decision-making processes within the field of end-of-life care. The most current developments in all aspects of major underlying issues such as public attitudes, the impact of media, bioethics, and legal precedent provide the background information for the text. The authors examine various aspects of end-of-life choices and decision-making, including communication (between and among family, medical personnel, the dying person), advance directives, and the emergence of hospice and palliative care institutions. The book also explores a variety of psychosocial considerations that arise in decision-making, including religion/spirituality, family caregiving, disenfranchised and diverse groups, and the psychological and psychiatric problems that can impact both the dying person and loved ones. Case studies and first-person stories about decision-making, written by professionals in the field, bring a uniquely personal touch to this valuable text.

Decisions to withdraw or withhold life-sustaining treatment are contentious, and offer difficult moral dilemmas to both medical practitioners and the judiciary. This issue is exacerbated when the patient is unable to exercise autonomy and is entirely dependent on the will of others. This book focuses on the legal and ethical complexities surrounding end of life decisions for critically impaired and extremely premature infants. Neera Bhatia explores decisions to withdraw or withhold life-sustaining treatment from critically impaired infants and addresses the controversial question, which lives are too expensive to treat? Bringing to bear such key issues as clinical guidance, public awareness, and resource allocation, the book provides a rational approach to end of life decision making, where decisions to withdraw or withhold treatment may trump other competing interests. The book will be of great interest and use to scholars and students of bioethics, medical law, and medical practitioners.