Lost in the uproar over ``death panels'' is the very real and complicated reality of on-the-ground, everyday medical ethics that come into play when someone is near or nearing death. Who gets to decide? And how could any doctor ethically participate in a ``death panel'' given the oath she's taken to do no harm? This discussion is too important to be distilled into unhelpful, fear-inducing sound bites.
Here's Sunday's column about a woman whose life was saved against her will. Below is one interesting response:
``Excellent piece in Sunday's paper regarding Linda Snelling and her experience with imposed health care choices. I chaired the Ethics Committee at Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus, Ga for years. While Chair we re-wrote out end of life care policy to respect the wishes of the patient of their designated/appointed decision maker. I also changed policy to encourage the inclusion of the patient's spiritual adviser and family member in the deliberations of the Ethics Committee. We also wrote policy directives to be included in all patient admission packets and included information that all employees of the facility were encouraged to report any issues when they felt a patient's rights were abused. Bottom line is I do not believe there is any legal obligation for a facility to force the two phyisican concurrence on any patient. I feel sure that is a local policy which I suspect is in tension with state and federal statue and ethical guidelines. Dr. Charles M. Davis, Hartsvill, S.C. Found this discussion of end of life care that I hope may be of interest.''
