GESTIÓN EN SALUD PÚBLICA: “Care” vs “overzealous treatment”: Pope Francis speaks on end of life issues

sábado, 25 de noviembre de 2017

“Care” vs “overzealous treatment”: Pope Francis speaks on end of life issues

“Care” vs “overzealous treatment”: Pope Francis speaks on end of life issues

Bioedge

“Care” vs “overzealous treatment”: Pope Francis speaks on end of life issues

by Xavier Symons | 24 Nov 2017 |

Pope Francis has advised doctors to avoid "overzealous treatment" of patients at the end of life, saying that "burdensome" treatment may not be in the bests interests of the person.

Addressing the World Medical Association European Regional Meeting on End of Life Questions -- a conference jointly organised by the World Medical Association, the German Medical Association and the Pontifical Academy of Life -- the Roman Pontiff said that that the development of powerful medical technologies calls for prudent discretion on the part of clinicians:

"greater wisdom is called for today [in end of life care], because of the temptation to insist on treatments that have powerful effects on the body, yet at times do not serve the integral good of the person".

The Pope broached the much discussed topic of "overly burdensome treatment", and discussed a series of ethical principles outlined by his predecessors Pius XII and John Paul II.

"...in the face of critical situations and in clinical practice, the factors that come into play are often difficult to evaluate. To determine whether a clinically appropriate medical intervention is actually proportionate, the mechanical application of a general rule is not sufficient. There needs to be a careful discernment of the moral object, the attending circumstances, and the intentions of those involved. In caring for and accompanying a given patient, the personal and relational elements in his or her life and death – which is after all the last moment in life – must be given a consideration befitting human dignity. In this process, the patient has the primary role."

Roman Pontiff’'s comments follow a statement earlier this year from the Pontifical Academy for Life on the controversy surrounding British infant Charlie Gard. In the statement, Academy president Vincenzo Paglia said:

“The proper question to be raised in this and in any other unfortunately similar case is this: what are the best interests of the patient? We must do what advances the health of the patient, but we must also accept the limits of medicine and, as stated in paragraph 65 of the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae, avoid aggressive medical procedures that are disproportionate to any expected results or excessively burdensome to the patient or the family.”

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Good scientists have to be curious, tenacious, creative, intuitive and analytical. And it helps if they are humble, as well. At least that is my impression after reading about the Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero (see below.)

Canavero is the latest figure in a long queue of talented scientists led astray just in the last couple of years by the glamour of celebrity. Dr Canavero would no doubt deny this, but the scientific community is very sceptical of his project to transplant living heads onto living bodies. And although he has not had a single success in this project, he is already dreaming of transplanting brains.

Celebrity and science can make a toxic mix. There is thoracic surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, another Italian, whose work on artificial tracheas was hyped as life-saving, but turned out to be fraudulent.

Dutch social psychologist Diederik Stapel was renowned for his controversial research. He had faked the results of his experiments and even his PhD. Michael LaCour made headlines for his surveys about changing minds about gay marriage. He never carried out the surveys.

Japanese stem cell scientist Haruko Obokata found an incredibly simple method for creating pluripotent stem cells. And in fact, it was incredible.

What makes extremely talented and creative researchers choose the path of a circus performer rather than a dedicated scholar? Everyone has a different story, but perhaps the ancient Anglo-French word vaynglorie (vainglory) expresses it best. Are there classes for post-graduate students in humility? Perhaps there ought to be.