Abstract
Daniel, a 30-year old man with Proteus syndrome (elephant man disease), is introduced. After 110 surgeries, Daniel’s family elects to care for him at home in the final stages of life. Problems ensue when poor communication from hospital staff and the lack of a cohesive discharge plan give neither Daniel nor his family any idea of what to expect upon leaving the care of the hospital. In this chapter, Daniel, the author’s brother, is used to demonstrate the complexities of end-of-life issues, even for families who are familiar with the medical system.
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Institute of Medicine. 2014. Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preference Near the End of Life. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
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Benton, K. (2017). Introduction to Daniel. In: The Skill of End-of-Life Communication for Clinicians. SpringerBriefs in Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60444-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60444-2_1
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Online ISBN: 978-3-319-60444-2
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