The other night my partner and I were sent to find a patient who had absconded from hospital during treatment for a life threatening condition. Because she had walked out on her treatment at hospital, and because a doctor believed she needed this treatment to continue living, the doctor had signed papers that turned her into a 'recommended' patient, essentially declaring her unfit to make her own decisions.
I should be fair and say that this is a temporary measure that gives police and ambulance crews the authority to transport a person to a facility for proper assessment by a qualified person and is not a permanent removal of the persons independence. However, I just found it a bit strange that for all intents and purposes this elderly woman was 'rational', had lived with this medical condition for many years and was apparently making an informed personal choice about her treatment. Yet we were directed to take her to hospital, to override her wish not to be treated and utilise police as required to make it happen.
I know some will see this as a passive suicide attempt by this patient, and perhaps it is, but what limits should we set on someone making a personal decision about their treatment? Is it whenever that treatment is likely to cause them detriment? (the medical profession allows people to make dubious health care decisions all the time) or is it whenever that decision may actually cost them their life? I don't know, but it just didn't feel right to me on the night.
4 comments:
It would be difficult and wrong to comment on this without knowing more about this lady, her life and condition.
Spill more!
Fair enough Rosey - I deliberately left out identifying details. Let's just say she has been managing to live with her problem for many years and has been regularly undergoing all the treatments that are prescribed - but she said that she long ago gave up on there being a magic cure and she's now had enough of the invasive and debilitating procedures that she has to go through.
If the procedures she has to go through are debilitating and invasive, I can't say I blame her. That's got to be a tough decision to make.
Either the Dr is an arse who doesn't recognise that individuals have a right to decide on their treatment (self empowerment) or there is another issue here that we/you don't know about.
I would imagine that if the treatment is invasive and limiting her day to day quality of life and won't "cure" her long term, she has the right to decide to live the remainder of her time away from hospital procedures and make the most of the time she has left.
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