Analysis of patients' rights: dementia and PEG insertion.

摘要

The decision to provide or withhold artificial feeding in patients with advanced dementia presents a multifaceted ethical dilemma. This article analyses the issues of rights regarding such patients and explores the ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, respect/autonomy, justice and veracity. Evidence points strongly to hand-feeding being the method of choice for these patients (Finucane et al, 1999; Li, 2002). However, for each case there is no right or wrong answer and the physical and psychological wellbeing of the individual patient must be taken into account.