Shortcomings of Compassion

Dispatches from the Culture Wars reports on a lesbian couple who were denied visitation rights and a chance to provide medical information when one woman fell ill and was taken to a hospital. The woman died shortly afterward, and the state of Florida refused to provide a copy of the death certificate so the surviving partner and their children could obtain survivor's benefits.

Rather than point to the legal failures to provide recourse for these and other people in such tragic circumstances, I'd like to focus on the shortcomings of the hospital. While it is certainly important to respect patient privacy, does the Hippocratic Oath and the physician's humanity not demand that all reasonable measures be taken to obtain information that could save a patient's life? There was no conflict here, other than possibly with an administrative policy barring non-family from seeing a patient or providing information for the protection of the patient, but when weighed against the chance of saving a patient's life and the opportunity to act with a certain level of compassion, I don't see how any physician could look him or herself in the mirror after such a failure as this.

As I am not a part of the medical community, I am unfamiliar with the professional perspective on this. It is my hope, however, that if there is not yet consensus by the medical community on how to humanely address cases like these in a consistent fashion (because they are not going away and will become more prevalent) that some can be reached to demonstrate that the medical community can and will rise to a higher standard of humanity than what is dictated by the law.

Update: Alicia Ouellette has provided a link with information on the lawsuit being filed on the patient's behalf by Lamda Legal.

So, Which Side Was That Again, Eh…? The Horror of Wrong-Sided Surgery

You’re having surgery. All the authorizations have been given—all the forms signed…and preparations made.

You trust your surgeon’s credentials, education and expertise in providing you with the care you need. You have every confidence in the nursing staff.

Yet, you can’t arrive at the hospital before stopping at an art store to pick up…permanent markers—just as a precaution. “X” marks the spot, right?

You want to make sure there’s no question WHICH side of your body the surgery is to be performed on.

Sound wacky? Not when you consider that tales of doctors operating on the wrong side of a patient’s body—or removing the wrong organ or limb—happen with frightening frequency in hospitals across the country. The most recent case, involving an 82-year old Rhode Island patient, resulted in a $50,000 fine being levied against the hospital.

While the overall percentages are low, so-called “wrong-site surgery” occurs more often than is being reported, and has prompted a review of procedures and implementation of guidelines for hospitals to follow to prevent occurrences. Review the article and relate your own opinion on what can or should be done.

http://tinyurl.com/3bxcbx