Overview: Healthcare professionals provide support throughout the cycle of life, from birth to death. They have an obligation to provide humane and compassionate care to patients while adhering to their specific field’s code of ethics. Sometimes, healthcare professionals are privy to discussions between family members regarding end-of-life issues. In some instances, a healthcare facility may be in charge of providing information about advance directives to patients. Healthcare professionals should calibrate their own moral beliefs to align with their ethical and legal obligations. By studying issues contained within real-life cases, healthcare professionals can come to terms with their beliefs and obligations relative to end-of-life issues. Prompt: In this project, you will analyze the Terri Schiavo case through the lens of the bioethical issue(s) related to the case. You will address what the bioethical issue is and what role end-of-life issues, such as self-determination and advanced directives, played in the case. Using your analysis, you will determine how this bioethical issue impacted the decisions made by the healthcare professionals involved in the case. Specifically, your essay must address the following critical elements: I. Introduction: Describe the provided case, including information on the stakeholders involved, the bioethical issue, and the time period of the incident that occurred. II. Bioethical Analysis: Analyze the bioethical issue for the role end-of-life issues played in the case. Be sure to use appropriate terminology and support with secondary research. III. Conclusion: Describe how the bioethical issue influenced the decisions of healthcare professionals involved in the case. Be sure to use specific examples. Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your bioethical short paper should be 1–2 pages in Microsoft Word with 12-point Times New Roman font and one-inch margins. All citations and references should be formatted according to the most recent APA guidelines.
