There was a person who attacked Port Authority recently with the intent to cause terror. He injured several people. He was also injured in the process.
When a person like this is taken to a hospital for his injuries, what are staff told about him? Does it affect his care? Are doctors and nurses mandated to treat him the same as other patients? If he was indeed planning on blowing himself up, he must reject any Doctor’s attempt to heal his injuries. Who protects the doctors and nurses from a violent and hurt criminal? Who protects the criminal from other patients who may want to cause him harm? How do you ask a terrorist who hates America, “What do you want to order for dinner?” I feel bad for doctors and nurses that may have to care for someone who wants nothing more than the destruction of America. Who talks to the injured criminal about the severity of his injuries? Thanks for enlightening me!
If he refuses treatment does the hospital have to honor that request? I figure the cops won’t be happy about that since they want him to live to be interrogated.
Treating without consent is assault. We physicians and nurses don’t do that, if we’re smart. Anyone has a right to refuse care. That can be overruled only by a court order, and one must show great need in order to get one (I’ve obtained a few in my day.)
Correct. Doctors at one hospital recently decided that a do not resuscitate tattoo was insufficient. A DNR needs to be on paper and signed. A tattoo could be a joke or could be bravado.
In general hospitals have their own security to handle issues within the hospital. If a crime occurs the police are called in for paperwork and charges. When someone is under arrest and in a hospital there will be a police presence to make sure he doesn’t run/crawl/roll away. Most of the security is still going to be handled internally.
Here is a recent case. At first they decided to do standard care then were advised to stop, which they did. Soon after the real DNR paperwork was obtained and the patient died.
The real interesting case is one from 2012 mentioned in the article. A guy had a DNR tattoo because he lost a bet!
Officially, to a health practitioner a patient is a patient is a patient. They treat the good and the bad equally. If the patient is believed to be dangerous for one reason or another then precautions are taken. E.g., simple velcro restraints put on by an orderly or nurse all the way up to a cop with shackles.
A lot of people coming into an ER might be criminals, very few are officially convicted felons under custody. It’s not the job of the ER staff to make judicial decisions. They don’t have the mentality of those screaming cable news jerks.