Questions? Comments? Send us a message!This episode presents an "Ethics Roundtable" discussion, focusing on the complex case of a 68-year-old female veteran, LK, whose advanced directive conflicts with her family's wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment. The source explores this ethical dilemma from multiple professional viewpoints, including a trauma surgeon, ethicist, spiritual care provider, physician, lawyer, and social worker. Each perspective offers insights into the challenges of honoring patient autonomy when a designated surrogate is deemed unsuitable and family members disagree with the patient's explicit end-of-life instructions. The central theme revolves around the legal and moral obligations to uphold a patient's advanced directive, especially when a surrogate's cognitive impairment or emotional distress prevents them from making decisions aligned with the patient's stated wishes.keywords: autonomy, advance directive, surrogate decision making, substituted judgementSupport the showThank you for your interest in Ethics in Palliative Medicine! Follow us at https://epionepalliative.com and on X: @PallCareEthics

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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