• Question: as a doctor do you have a live threatening decisions ?

    Asked by Rachel to Ali on 4 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Ali Blatcher

      Ali Blatcher answered on 4 Nov 2017:

      Hi!

      As a doctor you have to make some tough decisions at times and yes, this can include deciding whether it is time for someone to stop having treatment. This is called “palliating” somebody.
      We also have forms that we fill in where the doctor identifies patients that will not survive resuscitation, such as CPR, and allows them to slip away more peacefully. These are decisions we make on a day to day basis and it can be hard.

Comments

  • Photo: Phil

    Phil commented on :

    Every day as a GP we deal with situations which could be life-threatening. If someone comes in with their asthma getting worse, or there has been blood in their poo. Most weeks one of the GPs in my surgery will call an ambulance because a patient is so unwell. The important thing is to work as a team. If we call an ambulance, the nurses will bring the emergency trolley to the room immediately and the receptionists will keep an eye out for the ambulance so they can show them straight into the room. They’ll also keep the other patients who are waiting aware that there’s a delay, and some may choose to rebook their appointment if there is going to be a considerable delay.