Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Obligation to Treat
Do physicians have a professional duty to treat and what are the limits to that duty? This is a very difficult but interesting question. According to the AMA, physicians do have an obligation to treat patients even in the face of "greater than usual risks". I agree that physicians have an obligation to treat people during times of disaster. When we decided we were going to medical school, I think that we were agreeing to put the needs of others before our own. However, I also believe that there is a limit to that duty. The AMA puts it well when it says, "the physician workforce, however, is not an unlimited resource..." I feel that I would personally feel very obligated but also very willing to help during times of disaster and terrorist attacks, ect. I feel that the struggle comes in a time of epidemics and when the physician would be in great danger. It would be a lot harder for me to feel comfortable putting myself in danger of getting the illness and spreading it to my family and loved ones. The paper said that according to the survey, having a family did not affect the HCP's answers. However, I feel that having a family would make me more hesitant. Having a family to go home to and potentially infect makes me less willing to risk my own health.
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Oops, I didn't mean to publish my blog yet! I just wanted to add that this topic reminds me of my dad, who served in the War in Iraq for two years. As a member of the Army he knew that he may have to put his own self interest behind that of our country. Even though I know he loves our family and would never want to get hurt, he feels an obligation to the military to put himself in danger. I think that this is very similar to health care workers. We chose this career knowing that we would be put in situations where other people's well being is put before our own.
ReplyDeleteTeresa: I would never be so bold as to make this a suggestion, but reading both posts I thought (1) wouldn't it be interesting to talkwith your dad about the reading and (2) wouldn't it have been great to have your dad in class talking with the rest of the class about duty to serve. Thanks for the posts(s).
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