Doctors prefer to die at home, away from hospitals

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Doctors prefer to die at home, away from hospitals
Doctors prefer to die at home, away from hospitals
Anonim

A Southern California doctor reveals why many medics carry cards with them on which they have written their express wish not to have CPR administered in the event of clinical death. And also - why cancer patients prefer to die at home. Ken Murray, MD, clinical associate professor of family medicine at the University of Southern California, reveals some interesting medical secrets:

“Many years ago, Charlie, a respected orthopedist and my mentor, discovered a lump in his abdomen. He underwent a diagnostic operation with the diagnosis of "pancreatic cancer". The operation was done by one of the best surgeons in the country. He even developed a surgical method that triples the likelihood of patients living five years after being diagnosed with this type of cancer, although the quality of life is very poor. Charlie was not interested in the offer - he was discharged from the hospital the very next day. He closed his practice and never set foot in the hospital again. Instead, he devoted all his remaining time to his family. He felt relatively well, as far as cancer can go. A few months later he died at his home. Charlie did not undergo chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. He had spent almost nothing on his medical insurance…” explains Dr. Murray.

This topic is rarely discussed, but doctors die too. And they don't die like other people. The shocking thing is not how many doctors treat themselves before they die compared to other people, but how rarely they go to a doctor when they are nearing the end of their lives. Doctors struggle with death when it comes to their patients, and they themselves are very relaxed about their own death - they know exactly what will happen. They know what options they have. They can afford all kinds of treatment, but they go quietly. Naturally, doctors don't want to die. They want to live. At the same time, they know enough about modern medicine to understand its limits and possibilities. They also know enough about death and what most people fear most-death in excruciating pain and death in solitude. Doctors talk about it with their families. They want to make sure that when their time comes, no one will heroically try to save them from death by breaking their ribs in an attempt to revive them with indirect heart massage. And this happens quite often, and in most cases it is conducted incorrectly. Virtually all he althcare workers at least once

have witnessed "senseless treatment"

using the latest medical advances when there was no possibility of improving the condition of a terminally ill patient. They rip open the patient's stomach, put various tubes inside, connect him to devices, poison him with drugs. This is exactly what happens in the intensive care unit, and it costs tens of thousands of dollars a day. With this money, people buy themselves suffering that will not be inflicted even on terrorists.

"Hundreds of times my colleagues have told me the following: 'Promise me that if you see me in this condition, you will kill me.' CPR is performed if necessary. And I've even seen a person who has tattooed such an inscription on his chest," says Dr. Murray.

How can people torture their relatives like this is the question that haunts many doctors. The forced infliction of suffering on patients at the insistence of their families is one of the reasons for the high rates of alcoholism and depression among he althcare workers compared to other professions. What is happening? Why do doctors prescribe treatments they would never prescribe themselves? The answer is simple, or not quite – patients, doctors and the medical system as a whole. To better understand what role the patients themselves play, imagine the following situation.

Man loses consciousness and is brought by ambulance

in the hospital. No one foresaw such a scenario, so it was not agreed in advance what to do in such a case. This is a very common situation. Relatives are scared, shocked and confused by the countless, different treatment options. It all makes them dizzy. And when the doctor asks them: "Do you want us to "do everything"? - relatives say "yes". And hell begins. Sometimes relatives really want doctors to "do everything", but more often they just want everything to be done in reasonable limits. The problem is that ordinary people often do not know what is reasonable and what is not. Confused and grieving, they may not ask questions or even listen to what the doctor is telling them.

Things are further complicated by the fact that people have unrealistic expectations of what doctors can do. Many people think that CPR is a safe way to resuscitate, although most people still die or survive but with severe disabilities. I have seen hundreds of patients who were brought to the hospital after CPR. If the patient is seriously ill, old, suffering from a deadly disease, the probability of a good result of resuscitation is almost non-existent, and the probability of suffering is almost 100%. Lack of knowledge and unrealistic expectations lead to poor treatment decisions.

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