The TED Talk featuring Dr. Abraham Verghese was very accurate in its depiction of how some of today’s medical professionals do not get the full picture of the patient. The TED Talk was is from 2011, so some changes have been made to this, but not all. During this time and era, most doctors were working under strenuous conditions such as working long hours, seeing numerous patients in a day, and being stretched by having to do many duties due to their title and limited filled positions in their desired career. But, this does not give them the “ok” to deny each and every patient the correct singularity that they deserve. The beginning story he tells of refers to a woman who has advanced stages of breast cancer that has spread to other regions in her body. She had been to numerous doctors before …show more content…
The ethical factor of the previous hospitals not doing proper test to find the root of the problem were not solid. Also, the intersubjective between the woman, as a patient, the doctors, and the test that were done were not honored. These few factors are just a few that could have been honored to find our way earlier that the woman had early signs of breast cancer, and could have saved her time, money, mental state, physical state, and health. Luckily, since these steps have been overstepped in the past, moving forward from this has made the medical filled a tighter infrastructure when it comes to patient care. Although, it may sometimes seem rush for patients in the emergency room, all steps are followed to eliminate possible factors that could end the patient’s life (these range from head CT’s, MRI’s, abdominal CT’s, etc.). Dr. Abraham Verghese also references his friend who finds out that she has early stages of breast cancer going to one of the best cancer hospitals in the world, only to return to her private oncologist for treatment. She wanted the personal touch that not all “flashy” and big named hospitals can
When we see patients, we must remember that we are not simply treating a disease. We are caring for people with lives, hobbies, jobs, families, and friends, who are likely in a very vulnerable position. We must ensure that we use the status of physicians to benefit patients first and foremost, and do what we promised to when we entered the profession: provide care and improve quality of life, and hopefully leave the world a little better than it was
Healthcare creates unique dilemmas that must consider the common good of every patient. Medical professionals, on a frequent basis, face situations that require complicated, and at times, difficult decision-making. The medical matters they decide on are often sensitive and critical in regards to patient needs and care. In the Case of Marguerite M and the Angiogram, the medical team in both cases were faced with the critical question of which patient gets the necessary medical care when resources are limited. In like manner, when one patient receives the appropriate care at the expense of another, medical professionals face the possibility of liability and litigation. These medical circumstances place a burden on the healthcare professionals to think and act in the best interest of the patient while still considering the ethical and legal issues they may confront as a result of their choices and actions. Medical ethics and law are always evolving as rapid advances in all areas of healthcare take place.
As a society we place those in the medical profession on a pedestal. They are people to be looked up to and admired. In many ways they are Gods, right here with us on earth. People put the hope and faith in doctors hoping they can perform miracles. Throughout history, doctors have indeed preformed many wonders. There were, however, some doctors that betrayed this belief and peoples trust. These doctors could be found in concentration camps such as Auschwitz and Dachau. These doctors committed unspeakable acts against the Jews and other minorities, believing that they were conducting helpful experiments. Following the holocaust, however, they were punished for their actions.
Patients deserve the full attention of their doctor. (Wilkinson) One of the things that is distracting health care professionals from paying attention to their patients is technology. Physicians can get so caught up with filling out forms and answering calls that they aren’t giving enough time to their patient. (Britt) A harmless solution to this problem is just asking the person to wait a few minutes, so the doctor can finish up what they’re doing and then be able to devote their full attention to the patient. There needs to be a balance between giving someone very little time and wasting too much time on one person. That’s why doctors not only need to focus but also remain in control. Often patients will ramble on about their problem even after the doctor has figured out what’s wrong. For a case like that, every doctor should have something prepared to say in order to go treat other patients.
In “Should Doctors Tell the Truth?” Joseph Collins argues for paternalistic deception, declaring that it is permissible for physicians to deceive their patients when it is in their best interests. Collins considers his argument from a “pragmatic” standpoint, rather than a moral one, and uses his experience with the sick to justify paternalistic deception. Collins argues that in his years of practicing, he has encountered four types of patients who want to know the truth: those that want to know so they know how much time they have left, those who do not want to know and may suffer if told the truth, those who are incapable of hearing the truth, and those who do not have a serious diagnosis (605). Collins follows with the assertion that the more serious the condition is, the less likely the patient is to seek information about their health (606).
Truth in medicine is a big discussion among many medical professionals about how doctors handle the truth. Truth to a patient can be presented in many ways and different doctors have different ways of handling it. Many often believe that patient’s being fully aware of their health; such as a bad diagnosis, could lead to depression compared to not knowing the diagnosis. In today’s society doctor’s are expected to deliver patient’s the whole truth in order for patients to actively make their own health decisions. Shelly K. Schwartz discusses the truth in her essay, Is It Ever Ok to Lie to Patients?. Schwartz argument is that patients should be told the truth about their health and presented and addressed in a way most comfortable to the patient.
Almost doctors and physicians in the world have worked at a hospital, so they must know many patients’ circumstances. They have to do many medical treatments when the patients come to the emergency room. It looks like horror films with many torture scenes, and the patients have to pay for their pains. The doctors have to give the decisions for every circumstance, so they are very stressful. They just want to die instead of suffering those medical treatments. In that time, the patients’ family just believes in the doctors and tells them to do whatever they can, but the doctors just do something that 's possible. Almost patients have died after that expensive medical treatments, but the doctors still do those medical procedures. That doctors did not have enough confidence to tell the truth to the patients’ families. Other doctors have more confidence, so they explain the health condition to the patients’ families. One time, the author could not save his patient, and the patient had found another doctor to help her. That doctor decided to cut her legs, but the patient still died in fourteen days
Ohio Dep’t of Rehabilitation & Correction are the poor-quality patient care that Tomcik received and Tomcik’s health being at risk. Once engaged in a doctor-patient relationship, physicians are obligated to provide the best possible care for the patient by utilizing their skills and knowledge as expected from a competent physician under the same or similar conditions (“What Is a Doctor’s Duty of Care?” n.d.). However, in Tomcik’s situation, Dr. Evans did not deliver high-quality care, for he administered a perfunctory breast examination and thus did not follow standard protocols. There is evidence of indifference conveyed by Dr. Evans, and the lack of proper care towards Tomcik is an issue that can be scrutinized and judged appropriately. Additionally, Tomcik’s health was at risk due to the failure of a proper physical evaluation and the incredibly long delay in diagnosis and treatment. The negligence from Dr. Evans, along with the lack of medical attention sought out by Tomcik after she had first discovered the lump in her breast, may contribute to Tomcik’s life being in danger as well as the emotional anguish she may have felt during that time period. Overall, the incident of Tomcik’s expectations from the original physician and other employees at the institution not being met is an ethical issue that should be dealt with
In the magazine Newsweek, Mack Lipkin wrote an article titled “On Telling Patients the Truth.” In this piece, he summarizes his belief that medical information should be withheld from the patient because it is impossible to be completely truthful. This action is justified because patients won’t be able to understand the information, misinterpretation often occurs, and some people just don’t want to know the truth. I disagree with Lipkin’s thesis. I believe that physicians have a moral obligation to tell their patients relevant information about their disease, unless the patient clearly states that he/she does not want to hear it. Patients should be given this information because medicine is patient-centered, communication is necessary to build trust in a patient-doctor relationship, and withholding the truth seems to be more harmful to the patient in the long run.
... of life. Many factors may affect decisions such as age, menopausal status, and stage of cancer. Culture, values, lifestyle, and support systems are other factors that have impact on the woman’s response and outlook when facing this disease process. Ongoing and long-term supportive care is important to meet the patient’s needs. Health care providers are responsible to provide education, support, and advocacy for women experiencing breast disorders (LeMone et al., 2011).
Medical ethics could be so many different thing mostly bad.There's so many stories about medical ethics this this story about this girl. At the age of 13 she was diagnosed with a rare and fated type of cancer.The survived and was cleaned that didn't have cancer. Then 10 years later she fought for her life again, she had sergey. After the Surgery there was no where no sign of the cancer. There years later she married and she became pregnant because of her health history she went to a clinic so they could watch her pregnancy.She had to go back to the clinic for having a lung tumor. She want to be in the best health, surgery was not an option. Her baby was too small to be born yet ,” meaning too premature.” (Thornton )She wanted to keep treating her cancer but, the doctors said that should wait until 28 weeks.She waited and the doctors she it was too dangerous and they wouldn’t help.So they want to cort.The court made it distion and at time is was very ill. The court order a surguy but the doctor said that if she goes into surgery she might not make it. She refused, but the doctors could not refused the courts orders. She was rolled into the surgery room. she made it into through the surgery, but two days later she died. She ...
Working as an oncology nurse has been a life changing experience. I have grown not only as a nurse, but also as a person. My eyes have been opened to the value of life, and not just life itself, but the precious thing that is a healthy life. I cannot count the number of patients from the beginning of my nursing career until now that have told me, “Well, I just didn’t think my symptoms were a big deal” or “The doctor told me I needed additional tests but it didn’t seem important at the time and I didn’t have any money”. The lack of patient education and provider follow-up in situations such as these is disheartening to observe. Experiences I have had with patients combined with their life stories have fueled my desire to become a family nurse
Most people don't pay attention to malpractice until it's too late and it's happening to them and it's unbearable.The average annual number of suits filed each year is about 85,000, with the actual number of medical injuries estimated to be about one million per year. The amount of malpractice cases is rising and is continuing to rise and that's not good for the economy or for the civilians. “More than 250,000 people die each year in the United States because of medical errors.”( Manning) The issue is that malpractice is happening to often now and needs to come to a decline. I am a witness to this and so are both sides of my family with different
A misdiagnosis occurs when a doctor fails to recognize symptoms, instead they attribute them to another illness. Thus, the original illness may go untreated. This can cause the symptoms to worsen. While the patient is taking medicine that’s supposedly supposed to make them feel better, it can worsen the disease. By the time they find out that they are taking the wrong medication, it can be too late and the illness most likely will have gotten to the point where it may be too late to treat. For example, “A doctor in a hospital fails to recognize cardiac tamponade in a 63-year-old man, and the lack of diagnosis or treatment leads to his death” (Morgan & Morgan). A few months ago, my mother got into a car accident. She went to the doctor and complained of neck pain. The doctor told her that she just needed to rest and it was just a minor issue. A few weeks later, she returned to the hospital because the pain just seemed to worsen. After conducting a few tests, the doctor then found out that she had a compression fracture. As a result, she had to go to physical therapy. Doctors make mistakes and it’s up to the patient to let them know when they fear that something is bothering them. Per the United States National Practitioner Data Banks, the highest medical malpractice rate of 70% comes from physicians. While dentists carry 13% and nurses carry 9%. Malpractice in healthcare is a serious issue that should be taken seriously. According to the American Journal of Medicine, each year up to 15 percent of patients suffer needlessly as a result of wrong diagnoses, which include misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis.
Before the Internet medical information of any kind was very difficult for the average person to find. Patients had to rely fully on the knowledge of their doctors to make the most accurate diagnosis, and find the most effective treatment plans to meet their overall health care needs. Medical information was once only available in medical textbooks, and journals that were not accessible to the general public. Now, however things have changed. With the Internet, the general public now have access to citations of more then 12 million medical articles online. Which has lead to many patients being an active part of their own medical treatment as well was their physician’s continuing education on new medical advances. The Internet has changed the kind of relationship that is experienced between Doctors and patients. Previously, patients would, for the most part, follow doctor’s orders blindly as they were the experts and therefore to be trusted. Now, however, patients consider themselves somewhat of an expert after a few Google searches. They enter into appointments; armed with information and want to be an active part of the decision making process with regards their treatment plans. The Internet has changed the way the health care system currently functions, patients have becomes more and more like clients, information has been made accessible to more people, and has created more support for patients and more way to become informed about medical options, and a much wider medical community both for physicians, as well as patients.