1. An elderly woman, age 88, is admitted to the Emergency Department in acute respiratory distress.

She does not have a living will, but her daughter has power of attorney (POA) for health care and is a health care professional. The patient has endstage renal disease, end-stage Alzheimer’s disease, and congestive heart failure. Her condition is grave. The doctors want to intubate her and place her on a ventilator. The sons agree. The daughter states that their mother would not want to be on a machine just to prolong her life.

Divide into groups. Discuss the ethical theories that can be applied to this situation. Use the classroom debate style from the Candela evidencebased practice article identifi ed in Case Study 15-2 to guide you.