Should Doctors be Allowed

[grandmoon]

To deny surgery to patients who won't follow their direction. ??

A neighbor is complaining that the surgeon has refused to operate on her. 

The doctor wants her to attend exercises in the hospital pool and to also loose some weight before he will do the operation. 

She has refused and he said that he feels that the operation will not be successful unless she does.

[*crikey*mate*]

Yes.

[siggie-reported-by-alarmists]

Yes, he should.

He has made this suggestion for her benefit....why on Earth would she refuse?

[freshwater-2]

If she doesn't give a darn about her health, why should the doctor?

I seem to remember there was a court case on this issue not so long ago.

Not sure of the facts......but the patient died in the interim and the rellies sued the doctor.

The doctor won based on his prior advice to the patient and her refusal to comply.

Maybe somebody else has a better memory of it than I have.

[the_hawk*]

Doctors want the odds of success stacked in their favour of a successful outcome when they operate and not have to deal with all the paper work when it all goes wrong because a patient was over weight, smoked or had high blood pressure and refused to prepare for an opp

[polksaladallie]

The problem is that there is an extremely limited health budget, and a team of professionals (in the public system) confer as to who on the long list is the most deserving of high cost treatment first, then next, etc.

[*crikey*mate*]

A doctor takes an oath to "do no harm" (or do I just watch too much TV?

If in his "expert" opinion, he determines that he will cause harm (putting their life at further risk) to the patient by operating, then why should he operate, wouldn't that be negligence on his behalf?

It would also be negligent if the doctor determined that his skills were not sufficient to perform the operation under particular conditions and then proceeded.

And in this day "of lets sue our own shadow because it's stalking me", can anyone blame a doctor for taking precautions to limit himself from liability?

[grandmoon]

When I asked why she wasn't going to the exercise she said "It too far to travel and the time doesn't suit me." She also believes that he doesn't have the right to tell her to loose weight.

[azureline**]

She must not want the operation?

[cherry*135]

Yes Dr is right. She can try another Dr if she wants to.
If there are more risks operating on an overweight person the Dr's are making the right decisions.

Get your neighbour to look uo the case freshwater mentioned. It was this year.