Biomaterial Database

Withdrawing and withholding life-sustaining treatment. 2012

Richard Griffith

College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University, UK.

There has been considerable criticism recently over the use of end-of-life pathways and do-not-resuscitate orders with vulnerable, incapable patients, often without discussion. This criticism has led to press and judicial scrutiny of the lawfulness of decisions to withdraw or withhold life-sustaining treatment. In this article, the author reviews the law and argues that flawed decision-making by doctors and nurses, rather than the actual end-of-life pathway or do-not-resuscitate order, is where the lawfulness of withdrawing and withholding treatment must be challenged.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D005066	Euthanasia, Passive	Failing to prevent death from natural causes, for reasons of mercy by the withdrawal or withholding of life-prolonging treatment.	Allowing to Die,Euthanasia, Negative,Negative Euthanasia,Passive Euthanasia
D006113	United Kingdom	Country in northwestern Europe including Great Britain and the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland, located between the North Sea and north Atlantic Ocean. The capital is London.	Great Britain,Isle of Man
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013727	Terminal Care	Medical and nursing care of patients in the terminal stage of an illness.	End-Of-Life Care,End of Life Care,Care, End-Of-Life,Care, Terminal,End-Of-Life Cares
D016414	Resuscitation Orders	Instructions issued by a physician pertaining to the institution, continuation, or withdrawal of life support measures. The concept includes policies, laws, statutes, decisions, guidelines, and discussions that may affect the issuance of such orders.	DNR Orders,Do Not Resuscitate Order,Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders,Resuscitation Decisions,Resuscitation Policies,Withholding Resuscitation,DNR Order,Decision, Resuscitation,Do Not Resuscitate Orders,Do-Not-Resuscitate Order,Order, DNR,Order, Do-Not-Resuscitate,Order, Resuscitation,Policy, Resuscitation,Resuscitation Decision,Resuscitation Order,Resuscitation Policy
D028761	Withholding Treatment	Withholding or withdrawal of a particular treatment or treatments, often (but not necessarily) life-prolonging treatment, from a patient or from a research subject as part of a research protocol. The concept is differentiated from REFUSAL TO TREAT, where the emphasis is on the health professional's or health facility's refusal to treat a patient or group of patients when the patient or the patient's representative requests treatment. Withholding of life-prolonging treatment is usually indexed only with EUTHANASIA, PASSIVE, unless the distinction between withholding and withdrawing treatment, or the issue of withholding palliative rather than curative treatment, is discussed.	Withdrawing Care,Cessation of Treatment,Withdrawing Treatment,Care, Withdrawing,Treatment Cessation,Treatment Cessations,Treatment, Withdrawing,Treatment, Withholding,Treatments, Withdrawing,Treatments, Withholding,Withdrawing Treatments,Withholding Treatments