Part 4 of 4 of the series When Life and Death is “A Matter of Policy” For part 2, I wrote an overview of some of the bad things that have occurred when people in medical settings follow policy strictly even when it leads to horrible consequences, or in the case of Eric Garner, they … Continue reading “Diamonds in the Rough ‘n Tumble Webternets: What Med-people of Conscience Are Blogging (Part 4/4)”
Part 3 of 4 of the series When Life and Death is “A Matter of Policy” In part 2, I examined some of the bad things that can happen when people in medical settings apply “the rules” strictly, unmodified by the patient involved or the dictates of conscience. Now I’ll look at the what and why … Continue reading “Human Nature, the Tendency to OBEY, Bad Incentives, and the U.S. Medical System (Part 3/4)”
Part 2 of 4 of the series When Life and Death is “A Matter of Policy” Annnnnnnnnd we’re back… in part one of this series, I detailed one policy driven by No Discernable Medical Purpose (NDMP), and that’s the “no foreign ventilator” policy hospitals have, affecting me in the past and maybe at points in the … Continue reading “Paramedics, the VA, and Eric Garner: When Deference to Authority Goes Horribly Wrong (Part 2/4)”
Part 1 of 4 of the series: When Life and Death is “A Matter of Policy” As I mentioned recently in the quasi-mission statement of the blog, I create bloggings to ask the right questions, to illuminate the unseen issues facing us ignored vulnerable groups, or that’s the goal. Within that is the idea that … Continue reading “Medical Bureaucracy: Switching Your Ventilator “Because Policy” (Part 1/4)”
New York City’s hospitals, already strained and overcrowded, are experiencing a spree of closings, felled by the economic crisis. St. John’s Queens Hospital and Mary Immaculate Hospital have gone bankrupt and boarded up the entrances. This leaves Queens-dwellers with few options, and those few options in an awful overcrowding situation. “It’s a real failure of … Continue reading “More NYC Hospitals Lost To Economic Crisis”
Should the state be allowed to pull the plug on your family without your consent? This is a scary question that’s getting more and more attention lately, as states and hospital corporations are increasingly looking to cut costs and unplug people they deem “futile.” It’s downright Nazi-istic, and we are called to fight this every … Continue reading “Saving Emilio”
As I wrote in my last post, hospitals are dangerous. Doctors often don’t believe the patient, don’t listen and screw up. There are nearly unlimited ways hospitals can make mistakes; I even can’t count how many times I’ve been harmed. You can’t just sit back, relax and say “oh, I’m sure they know what they’re … Continue reading “Hospitals Are Very Dangerous Places”
Fear, Esophagastroduodenoscopy and The Ultimate Quarterlife Crisis What’s my world like lately? I hesitate to even go there, because it inevitably veers into the dark side, where I (and most people) don’t want to go. But I think occasionally I should throw back the curtain and disinfect the area with some sunlight, let people know … Continue reading “This Is The Digital Soul of Nick Dupree”