Nelson L J
QRB Qual Rev Bull. 1986 Jan;12(1):8-15. doi: 10.1016/s0097-5990(16)30001-x.
Medical technology can delay the moment of death for nearly every adult patient. Thus matters that were once the province of fate are now matters of human choice--the choice to withhold or withdraw treatment. The quality and appropriateness of care rendered in situations in which a question arises about foregoing treatment will be ensured only if the interests and rights of all persons involved are understood and respected. The article identifies the various types of situations in which such questions may arise, discusses the general legal principles applicable to each situation, and offers principles and procedures that providers could follow to handle the problems that often accompany a decision to forego treatment.
医疗技术几乎可以推迟每一位成年患者的死亡时刻。因此，曾经由命运主宰的事情如今变成了人为选择的问题——即选择停止或撤销治疗。只有当所有相关人员的利益和权利得到理解和尊重时，在出现关于放弃治疗的问题的情况下所提供的护理质量和适宜性才能得到保证。本文确定了可能出现此类问题的各种情形，讨论了适用于每种情形的一般法律原则，并提供了医疗服务提供者可以遵循的原则和程序，以处理放弃治疗决定常常伴随的问题。
