Anonymous medical blogger exposes questionable ethical problems at hospital
A question about medical ethics
We have an 81-year-old patient with a fairly aggressive cancer. She came in yesterday, her son immediately asks to speak to us in the hall. The family is worried she wouldn’t deal well knowing she has cancer, and her primary doctor agreed not to tell her and to instead call it an “infection” when talking to her. Giving her appropriate treatment, but hiding the actual diagnosis from her.
The patient has no signs of dementia, seems mentally competent.
The attending agreed to do what the son was asking. So now we’re all calling this thing an “infection” and telling her the chemotherapy drugs are “antibiotics”.
I find this appalling.
