Ethics and Nursing: The Katrina Arrests

I don't know if anyone has been following the case in New Orleans where a doc and two nurses have been arrested for causing the deaths of four patients during hurricane Katrina. They haven't been officially charged, but they're going to try for second degree murder.

I am just SICK about this.

I'm sick from the perspective of a healthcare provider. I can't imagine having keep a very sick patient going with no idea if help is going to arrive or not. I can see it making sense to decide to make a patient comfortable versus trying to keep them alive in horrendous conditions. Is it unethical to make a decision that will hasten a patient's death? Is it not also unethical to keep them alive when you don't have the resources to treat them at the level they need to be treated? I can see making the decision to walk in the room with morphine and versad.

Here's the reality. With the so-called miracle of modern medicine we are able to keep people alive much longer. We can tweak their systems and keep them going well beyond the point that nature would have taken its course. We rely on our medical systems to do this and when our medical systems break down, decisions have to be made. There is no such thing as a good death in our society. We are so afraid of death that we use all our resources and energy to prevent it at all costs. This means we have some very, very sick people out there who are kept going, who live on a thin line between life and death all the time. These are not healthy people to start with. I highly doubt that any of the patients in this case were healthy.

Then you have to look at it from the perspective of the families. They have had their loved one ripped from them with no input. Maybe they would even make the same decision but it was a situation where they couldn't be consulted. They've been robbed of a dignified death.

Then entire situation is shit. I just don't believe that these women are murderers and that what they did was homicide. This is a case of politicians second guessing the work and decision making of medical professionals.

Discuss if you want. Feel free to disagree with me. I'm very opinionated and I know it!

More reading:

Patient Deaths in New Orleans Bring Arrests - NYT
Louisiana Doctor Said to Have Faced Chaos - NYT
Fury Meets Katrina Hospital Arrests - LAT