Cancer Patients May Not Get Treatment During a Pandemic
A task force of physicians has compiled a list of specific recommendations spelling out who wouldn’t be treated in the event of a pandemic or other major health crisis where there aren’t enough resources available to help everyone.
The recommendations were put together by experts from universities, medical groups, the military and assorted government agencies to help hospitals prepare an effective battlefield-style triage system to be used in the event of a SARS epidemic or some other large-scale public health disaster.
Doctors from Mt Sinai Hospital, Sharp Coronado Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital, the White River VA Medical Center and the University of Washington, as well as many others, participated in the project.
While other guidelines have previously been proposed for allocating scarce resources during medical catastrophes, these recommendations are some of the most detailed ever prepared by a professional organization.
Under the task force’s guidelines, some of the patients who may not receive rationed medicines, ventilator support or other potentially-lifesaving care would include those older than age 85, those with serious mental impairments like advanced Alzheimer’s disease, and those with severe chronic conditions such as advanced cancer, advanced heart failure, or poorly-controlled diabetes.
Members of the task force acknowledge that constructing the list was a grim and emotional task, but they believe it was necessary from a disaster preparedness standpoint. As the report states,
“If a mass casualty critical care event were to occur tomorrow, many people with clinical conditions that are survivable under usual health care system conditions may have to forgo life-sustaining interventions owing to deficiencies in supply or staffing.”
In addition to raising political and ethical concerns, legal experts point out that these new guidelines may conflict with federal laws governing age and disability discrimination.
On a personal note: As a former military member trained in disaster response, I appreciate the necessity of the task force’s recommendations — as a cancer survivor, I find the prospect pretty sobering.
If you’d like to learn more about the task force’s report, it has been published in the May 2008 edition of Chest, the medical journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.
Source: Associated Press Article from CBS News
Related Links: ChicagoTribune.com; Ready.gov
Related Video: TRIAGE – Jr James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma from the National Film Board of Canada
Related Podcast: Slowing the Next Pandemic - Survey of Community Mitigation Stategies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Technorati Tags: oncology; standards of care; emergency medicine; infectious disease; Department of Homeland Security; US Department of Health and Human Services
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