End-of-Life Care and Pragmatic Decision Making: A Bioethical Perspective

Everyoneofuswilldie,andtheprocesseswegothroughwillbeourown–uniquetoourownexperiencesandlifestories.End-of-LifeCareandPragmaticDecisionMakingprovidesapragmaticphilosophicalframeworkbasedonaradicallyempiricalattitudetowardlifeanddeath.D.MicahHestertakesseriouslythecomplexitiesofexperiencesandarguesthatwhenmakingend-of-lifedecisions,healthcareprovidersoughttopaycloseattentiontothenarrativesofpatientsandthecommunitiestheyinhabitsothattheirdyingprocessesembodytheirlifestories.Hediscussesthreetypesofend-of-lifepatientpopulations–adultswithdecision-makingcapacity,adultswithoutcapacity,andchildren(withastrongfocusoninfants)–toshowtheimplicationsofpragmaticempiricismandthescopeofdecisionmakingattheendoflifefordifferenttypesofpatients.