Values that Guide Healthcare Decisions

Mileva Saulo Lewis, Ed.D., RN, Associate Professor, Samuel Merritt University; Vice President, The Center for Medical Ethics and Mediation

The values that guide our medical treatment decisions become increasingly important when we face the sudden onset of a stroke or heart attack and become even more critical when we cannot speak for ourselves after serious trauma from a car accident or fall. Dr. Lewis' presentation draws on a values history approach developed at The Center for Medical Ethics and Mediation in San Diego, which examines the decision-making process and quality-of-life factors. It provides a way to shape and share health-care decisions with family and health-care providers, and to review or revise them as your health changes. It is a critical component of end-of-life choices.