End of Life Care and Decision Making: Part 2

End of Life Care and Decision Making: Part 2

 

Slide 1

Screen:

Please enter your name in the space provided:

 

 

Slide 2

There is a table with Elaine Mills information:

Name Elaine Mills Notes

Age 96 Female

Diagnosis / Findings o Dilated common bile duct Large stone in duct

o Serious infection Extremely high WBC count

o Elevated temp.

Surgical status Poor candidate Poor risk general anesthesia

Action Biliary stent placement Will need to be replaced every few months

 

Narrator:

Elaine Mills has remained in the LTC facility for the past several days. The biliary stent worked well for a few days to maintain her comfort despite the fact that the bile duct extraction did not occur. However, Elaine began experiencing mild discomfort after the evening meal yesterday. Her discomfort continued to escalate during the night until it has become unbearable to her. She asked to return to the hospital.

 

She has been brought in by ambulance as a direct admit to your floor. She appears to be weak and in extreme pain to the point that she is barely coherent but is asking for help.

 

 

Elaine:

Please help me! I don’t care what you do! Just make this pain go away!

 

Narrator:

You remember her from her recent admission and know that the same gastroenterologist is on call. Her daughter and son-in-law follow her in and the daughter appears to be quite distraught when she sees her mother and hears her begging for help. She also begins to cry and asks what you can do to help her mother.

Joan:

Please, my mother is in so much pain. Is there anything you can do for her? I hate to see her suffer like this!

 

Slide 3

Narrator:

Let’s explore some potential next steps. What should you do based on your prior knowledge of Elaine’s case?

Screen:

What should you do based on your prior knowledge of Elaine’s case? Explore both of the options to learn more.

A. You recognize that this is …