试论生命维持治疗中的伦理学问题

Ethical Reflections on Life Maintenance Therapy among Patients with Terminal Diseases

生命维持治疗是医学界和哲学界争议颇多的话题。治疗疾病本是医师的职责,然而对诊断为恶性肿瘤的晚期、脑死亡、器官衰竭终末期,众多危重疾的患者进行生命维持治疗,医师是否也同样采取需要积极的治疗措施?如果放弃治疗,是否有违生命价值?如果坚持治疗,实施维持治疗所占用的医疗卫生资源是否构成对其他患者的功利损害?初步探讨终末期疾病患者维持治疗中存在的困惑。

Life maintenance therapy is a controversial issue in both fields of medicine and philosophy which encounters a great many ethical problems. The doctors＇primary responsibility is diseases control. Patients diagnosed with advanced malignant tumor, brain death, terminal organ failure, and critical end stage diseases, when death is inevitable, treatment should be maintenance or discontinued. Withdraw or quit from medical treatment offends patients wills and life value, while maintenance therapy is bad for the patients side for it has caused huge economic losses and a decline in their living quality, and meanwhile it brings in heavy burdens to our society. In this paper, the authors aim to provide some reasonable principles for this issue, thus realize the basic target of public health care service of maximizing thepublic interest.