Grodin M A
Law, Medicine, and Ethics Program, Boston University School of Public Health, School of Medicine, MA 02118-2394.
Am J Public Health. 1993 Jun;83(6):899-903. doi: 10.2105/ajph.83.6.899.
Because of the deep interpersonal significance of decisions made at the end of life, it is not surprising that religion has played an important role in patient and family decision making. Specific religious concerns about death and dying have led to religious advance directives. Advance directives offer a case study of models of interaction between religious communities and secular institutions. This paper examines why such directives have been created and how they may affect health care decisions. An analysis of their strengths and weaknesses concludes that specific religious instructions are unnecessary in written directives and may undermine both the religious and health care goals of patients.
由于临终时所做决定具有深刻的人际意义，宗教在患者及其家属的决策过程中发挥重要作用也就不足为奇了。对死亡和临终的特定宗教关切催生了宗教预先指示。预先指示为宗教团体与世俗机构之间的互动模式提供了一个案例研究。本文探讨了此类指示产生的原因以及它们可能如何影响医疗保健决策。对其优缺点的分析得出结论，书面指示中无需包含特定宗教教义，且此类教义可能会损害患者的宗教目标和医疗保健目标。
