When Life Ends

ARTHUR S. BERGER is the director of the International Institute for the Study of Death and an active member of the bioethics committee of a large metropolitan hospital. He is an attorney, educator, the author of six books, including Fear of the Unknown (Praeger, 1995), Dying and Death in Law and Medicine (Praeger, 1992), and the editor of three books including To Die or Not to Die? (Praeger, 1990), and Perspectives on Death and Dying (1989).

• Foreword by Louis Lemberg Preface Introduction Legal Overviews Refusal of Life-Sustaining Treatment Living Wills Surrogate Decision Making Withholding or Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatment Do Not Resuscitate Order Patient Self-Determination Act Medicolegal Forms and Hospital Policies Informed Consent Refusal of Treatment by Patients Living Wills Surrogate Decision Making Withholding or Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatment Do Not Resuscitate Orders Patient Self-Determination Act Table of Cases Legal Citations References Index

Berger provides a unique blend of (1) a discussion of issues that have been problematic in the ethical consideration of end of life issues and (2) the provision of policies and forms that can be used by hospitals and other health care facilities. Very useful to health care institutions and to physicans regarding responsibilities and documentation in end of life situations. General; undergraduate; professional; two-year technical program students. - Choice