Comments Posted By dalea
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'THE COST OF DYING:' FALSE CHOICES OR THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN HEALTHCARE?
When my greataunt was 89, her hip broke and she fell. The young surgeon wanted to operate, give her an artificial hip. Fortuneatly her doctor was almost her age and put his foot down. He felt she probably would not survive surgery so nothing was done. She lived several more years without constant pain and died peacefully.
My life partner was subjected to a series of useless surgeries at the end of his life. The surgeon just kept cutting away, prodding him to moan and then saying the patient wants this. More money on useless procedures in the last 3 months than in the previous 5 years of successful treatment.
The term missing from this discussion is 'managed condition'. Some conditions can be managed for a long time, some can't. Need to see how to manage a patient's condition as death approaches.
Comment Posted By dalea On 23.11.2009 @ 22:48
