Friday, January 21, 2011

When Do Doctors Override a Patient's Wishes?

From our friend Thaddeus Pope at the Medical Futility Blog.

L2

A Minnesota court ruled January 19th that Methodist Hospital must provide kidney dialysis for Albert Barnes, a terminally-ill 85-year-old man whose wife is in a fight with doctors over his care.

The case raises a lot of questions about who should decide who lives and who dies. Since the battle over the fate of Terri Schiavo, federal legislators tightened up laws designed to help clarify end of life decisions.

But the case of Albert Barnes raises a tricky question: When do health care providers override the wishes of their patient?

Link to report: When Do Doctors Override a Patient's Wishes?

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