What We Owe to End-of-Life Patients? A Case Study in the Humane Duties of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis End-of-Life Care

Abstract

In this paper, I discuss the duties of end-of-life care through the case study of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a rare lung disease. I employ Allen Wood's intermediate premise framework and Kant's Formula of Humanity to identify the duty to palliative care and terminate treatment upon patient request, while concluding, surprisingly, that healthcare providers do not have a positive duty to provide efficacy-driven treatment in end-of-life settings. I also discuss the importance of consent in end-of-life care and proxy consent to safeguard patient humanity and autonomy.