Which term describes a form of end-of-life involvement where a physician provides the means for a patient to end life?

• A. General supervision.
• B. Nurse practice act.
• C. Physician-assisted suicide.
• D. Proximate cause.

Answer: (C)

Physician-assisted suicide is the act where a physician provides the means for death, typically a prescription for a lethal dose of medication, and the patient is the one who administers it. The crucial point is that the patient performs the final act, not the physician. This is what distinguishes it from other end-of-life practices, such as euthanasia, where the clinician directly administers the life-ending intervention.

The other terms don’t fit because they refer to unrelated concepts: general supervision concerns oversight arrangements in care settings; the nurse practice act governs what nurses may or may not do; and proximate cause is a legal idea about causation in liability cases. In contexts where physician-assisted suicide is discussed, it’s also important to remember that its legality and ethical considerations depend on the jurisdiction and the safeguards in place to protect patients and ensure informed, voluntary consent.