icecool
Forum Senior
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Please help me with this:
a minor has a medical emergency condition but his/her parents refuse treatment. The rule is if it is a life-threatening condition, apply treatment even parents are against. Hope I am right here.
I am confused with TIME frame of "emergency", is it by hours, day, days? some conditions can be medically supported for days though fatal in hours without support, is it right to give treatment or get a court order (how long does it take?).
Thanks
icecool
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| jayakrishna
Forum Senior
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Court order can be obtained in a matter of few hours.(Listen to Steven daugherty on webprep).
Emergency is an exception to everything.
ALLWAY OBTAIN INFORMED CONSENT is the rule. Exceptions include:
WITE
Waiver by the patient
Incompetence on the part of patient
Therapeutic previlege
Emergency
Waiver: Patient is gravely ill, but fully conscious , understands that he needs treatment urgently and waives the physician the burden of writing an informed consent and reading it for the patient and obtaining the signature. He simply waives this informed consent to get the treatment first , live and then give consent.
Incompetence: The patient is incompetent, A young lady suffering from Bacterial meningitis is under delirium and says no the treatement as she is thinking that nurse is trying to poision her. She is clearly incompetent to make an informed refusal of her treatment, and hence you can proceed with the treatment.
Therapeutic previlege: The depressed patient expresses his suicidal ideation and does not want any of the anti-depressants. He does not want to admit himself into the hospital. You deprive him of autonomy and give treatment to save his life, and this is called Therapeutic previlege.
Emergency: Patient has headinjury and is in shock. Without prompt treatment he is bound to die in a matter of few minutes. You proceed with the treatment , save his life and obtain the informed consent later.
Hope you understood the implications.
___________________
indian childdoctor
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| icecool
Forum Senior
Topics: 22
Posts: 113
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Thanks Indian doc. These points are really good!
So I need to clear the following emergent conditions:
a) parents refuse to diagnostic procedures for a newborn suspected for Hirschsprung disease
go for surgery or get a court order
b) parents refuse tetanus immunoglobulin to their son who has a penetrating wound from a dirty stick and his vaccine status is unknown.
provide treatment or get a court order?
The issue is, in an emergency case of a minor whose parents refuse treatment, while you do have time to get a court order, which way is proper, apply treatment or get a court order first. My understanding is that if child's life is in danger then provide treatment. Is this a right ans?
icecool
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