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Five Days at Memorial Chapter 8 Questions Part 2
Discuss the New York Times Magazine’s ethics columnists’ statement, “Why weren’t there plans to cope with these patients when you knew a storm was coming? Sometimes the ethical—the most important ethical question sometimes is the one you ask not at the moment of crisis, but the duty you have to anticipate certain kinds of crises and avoid them” (271).
The hospital should have been prepared for all outcomes before, during and after Katrina. Memorial had been through other hurricanes and was always the place families, patients, and staff went to wait out a hurricane. The hospitals were supposed to stand on their own for seven days after the hurricane struck according to the mock hurricane (Hurricane Pam). The staff at Memorial did not cope well with patients as the days went on and they were stranded in the hospital. They did not know how to triage the patients in an emergency (situation) – they put the end-of-life care patients last and not first to leave the hospital. They were not prepared.
Describe John Thiele’s perspective of the storm and their circumstances at Memorial. How was he able to ultimately feel it was right to smother a man?
Thiele wasn’t supposed to be at Memorial during the hurricane. He has been on “duty” at Memorial during every hurricane (by choice) the last 21 years. He spent most of the storm in the Cancer Patient wing with power with other CEOs and doctors off duty. Thiele mentions that he has seen his patients commit suicide and it does not always end well for the patient. He is not opposed to euthanizing pets or humans because of this history with his patients. He justified it to himself that it was right to smother a man because he knew the man was suffering and he did not have a high chance to live. The whole situation – the evacuation after the hurricane and when the levees failed and flooded the city – plus the problems the hospital faced days after the hurricane messed with Thiele’s mind. He started off not wanting any part of the euthanasia when talking to another doctor (Kokemor) and then he changes into not being opposed to it which worried another doctor (Baltz). He had this fear of being robbed by looters and took it to an extreme in his mind thinking he was going to be robbed (by having his bracelet stolen) on a rescue airplane. And when he does get back to Atlanta and his family – he has a stoke at 53 and tells God he has his attention. It was like God told him he will be at end of life too and he was watching him to do good and not harm to others to get to heaven.
Discuss the various interpretations and nuances of end-of –life preferences in the book that take into account religion, consent and medical conditions.
The first interpretation was the hospital was to be built on strong God beliefs since it was a Baptist hospital. In the very beginning the hospital did not want to accept Medicaid or Medicare insurances and the government involved in its business. Here they are now being investigated by the Medicare Fraud Unit for the deaths of patients. All due to the doctors’ decision to make patients comfortable which ended the suffering of patients through use of morphine (and sedatives).
The second interpretation was the DNR orders of end-of-life patients and getting the DNRs rescinded for rescue from the hospital. The family of the patient normally did the DNR order with the help of the doctor (and consent of the patient). And if the patient was at end-of-life, the DNR meant the patient would not want to continue any life saving measures in the event of death. Families started to want doctors to rescind the orders so their loved ones would be rescued after the storm and flood.
The third interpretation is the hurricane, and the flooding stopped the hospital from medically treating the end-of-life patients. Even with the euthanasia laws against it in this country, doctors still felt the need to make patients comfortable with morphine (and sedatives) to help the patients be comfortable medically.
Five Days at Memorial Chapter 8 Questions Part 2
Discuss the New York Times Magazine’s ethics columnists’ statement, “Why weren’t there plans to cope with these patients when you knew a storm was coming? Sometimes the ethical—the most important ethical question sometimes is the one you ask not at the moment of crisis, but the duty you have to anticipate certain kinds of crises and avoid them” (271).
The hospital should have been prepared for all outcomes before, during and after Katrina. Memorial had been through other hurricanes and was always the place families, patients, and staff went to wait out a hurricane. The hospitals were supposed to stand on their own for seven days after the hurricane struck according to the mock hurricane (Hurricane Pam). The staff at Memorial did not cope well with patients as the days went on and they were stranded in the hospital. They did not know how to triage the patients in an emergency (situation) – they put the end-of-life care patients last and not first to leave the hospital. They were not prepared.
Describe John Thiele’s perspective of the storm and their circumstances at Memorial. How was he able to ultimately feel it was right to smother a man?
Thiele wasn’t supposed to be at Memorial during the hurricane. He has been on “duty” at Memorial during every hurricane (by choice) the last 21 years. He spent most of the storm in the cancer center with power with other CEOs and doctors off duty. Thiele mentions that he has seen his patients commit suicide and it does not always end well for the patient. He is not opposed to euthanizing pets or humans because of this history with his patients. He justified it to himself that it was right to smother a man because he knew the man was suffering and he did not have a high chance to live. The whole situation – the evacuation after the hurricane and when the levees failed and flooded the city – plus the problems the hospital faced days after the hurricane messed with Thiele’s mind. He started off not wanting any part of the euthanasia when talking to another doctor (Kokemor) and then he changes into not being opposed to it which worried another doctor (Baltz). He had this fear of being robbed by looters and took it to an extreme in his mind thinking he was going to be robbed (by having his bracelet stolen) on a rescue airplane. And when he does get back to Atlanta and his family – he has a stoke at 53 and tells God he has his attention. It was like God told him he will be at end of life too and he was watching him to do good and not harm to others to get to heaven.
Discuss the various interpretations and nuances of end-of –life preferences in the book that take into account religion, consent and medical conditions.
The first interpretation was the hospital was to be built on strong God beliefs since it was a Baptist hospital. In the very beginning the hospital did not want to accept Medicaid or Medicare insurances and the government involved in its business. Here they are now being investigated by the Medicare Fraud Unit for the deaths of patients. All due to the doctors’ decision to make patients comfortable which ended the suffering of patients through use of morphine (and sedatives).
The second interpretation was the DNR orders of end-of-life patients and getting the DNRs rescinded for rescue from the hospital. The family of the patient normally did the DNR order with the help of the doctor (and consent of the patient). And if the patient was at end-of-life, the DNR meant the patient would not want to continue any life saving measures in the event of death. Families started to want doctors to rescind the orders so their loved ones would be rescued after the storm and flood.
The third interpretation is the hurricane, and the flooding stopped the hospital from medically treating the end-of-life patients. Even with the euthanasia laws against it in this country, doctors still felt the need to make patients comfortable with morphine (and sedatives) to help the patients be comfortable medically.
(correction to typo on question 2 response and I was unable to edit).
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