It is never easy when somebody has an untreatable illness. That is why New York Legislature has recently passed a bill requiring doctors who are treating terminally ill patients to supply them the proper information on prognosis and the options available for end-of-life care. This includes hospice care, aggressive pain management, and any further life-sustaining treatment that is possible.
The new law, called the New York Palliative Care Information Act, is designed to make sure terminally ill patients are told of all their health care options and legal rights.
According to the report in The New York Times, some patients choose aggressive treatment when they are ill while many others would rather have proper comfort care when they know their lives are coming to an end. Many people accept their fate when told the truth and would rather relieve their pain instead of trying to extending their lives.
Studies have shown that when people find out their conditions are terminal they don"t usually suffer from serious emotional stress. But they do when they haven"t been informed of their conditions with end-of-life talks and are taking treatment until the last days of their lives.
The law is also trying to encourage physicians to be honest with terminally ill patients as it can also reduce patients" from trying costly and futile types of treatments. Many patients prefer to take advantage of hospice services that are covered through Medicare, which is also less expensive than aggressive treatment at hospitals.
Still many think that physicians and nurses need to be specially trained for end-of-life situations so they can properly hold discussions with patients and inform them of their situations.