Reflections about bioethical reasoning in palliative care

Abstract

In the last decades there have been observed important changes regarding health issues, including the increase of specializations, the perfection of infectious disease control, the discovery and development of novel intervention methods and the growing emphasis on rehabilitation. Likewise, this has favored the increase in the average age of the population, which has been associated with a major prevalence of not transmissible chronic and/or degenerative diseases. As a response to the above, the scope and research related to palliative care has been updated, which has also lead to a broadening of horizons to a new and complex field of action on behalf of occupational therapists. The objective of the present essay is to generate a reflection regarding the bioethical reasoning that we, as health professionals, must keep in mind when finding users that are in said situation, taking in account that ethical decisions are part of our daily performance. Thus, aspects considered to be fundamental within the intervention of occupational therapy in palliative care are to be examined, related to i) quality of life as a central component for any course of action to be applied, ii) the facilitation of the user's occupation and participation, assuming the ethical values of the same (and basing ourselves on the bioethical principles, care ethics and virtues), and iii) the persons dignity, further promoting, iv) the ethics related to a worthy death as a way to face said process.