end-of-life decisions
Final care planning
End-of-life decisions are choices about medical care when death is near or recovery unlikely.
These include whether to continue treatment, use life support, pursue comfort care only, or allow natural death.
Her end-of-life decisions were outlined in a living will.
The term encompasses both advance directives made while healthy and real-time choices made by patients, families, or designated proxies when facing terminal illness.
- advance directivesDocumented healthcare preferences beforehand
- do not resuscitateOrder refusing emergency revival
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- sanctity of lifePrinciple that existence is sacred
- quality of lifeGeneral life satisfaction
good death · dignity · last days · end stage · non-maleficence · palliative care · hospice care · spiritual guidance · legacy planning · right to die · letting go · pulling the plug · life support · informed consent · healthcare proxy · comfort care · family counseling · patient advocacy
- right to dieassisted suicide, euthanasia, right to die, physician-assisted death, death with dignity
- euthanasiaeuthanasia, assisted suicide, assisted dying, aid in dying, voluntary euthanasia
- power of attorneypower of attorney, agent, principal, attorney-in-fact, proxy
end-of-life decisionsbirth planning
Reproductive timing decisions
neonatal care · newborn care · family planning · maternity care
ended, ending, endless, endlessly, living, lifelong, lifetime, lifeless, decide