Discussion Do you think most surgeons and doctors genuinely want to save some of their patients?

[ikadasui]

If they had a suicide gunshot to the head patient come in and they are clearly fucked up and disfigured, but still alive and they begin to operate do you think most people involved even believe in what they are doing at that point? Or is it just coming down to if I don't "do my job" I could lose it and then my survival will go up in the air so they do it solely out of that? I really wonder if a lot of care providers just harbor thoughts that whoever they are treating is so unfit for the world it'd be a mercy to let them die but only do their duty to earn that paycheck, doesn't make it much better ofc but I do wonder if most don't see it can be a hopeless use of time trying to "help" someone at times

 

[MovingOn]

I know a nurse who works at an old people's ward where many of them have problems with their memory and cognition, alzheimer's being one cause. She has told me that she thinks they should all die and it doesn't make sense to keep them alive with 24/7 care. Yet she of course still does the job (cleans them, feeds them, rolls them in front of a TV or turns it on in their room, yells into their ear basic socialization because otherwise they can't even hear her due to a loss of hearing...)

 

[Countdown Kirk]

I know of a soldier who got blown to pieces but still alive. Lost his legs, an arm. Penis and testicle. Had a stoma and piss bag. Blind in one eye. Operated on. Survived. Had aftercare. House modified. Pool to exercise. One morning found drowned in his own pool....

 

[Pluto]

Some doctors will utilise 'slow euthanasia'. This is technically legal because it involves legitimately responding to a patient's need for increased pain-relieving medication (morphine). Over a period of time, constant increases in morphine dosage will cause death. This euthanasia loophole may be at the request of the patient or can happen at the doctor's discretion.

No doubt there are other physicians who don't care and will just do their jobs to the minimum standard.

 

[ikadasui]

I know a nurse who works at an old people's ward where many of them have problems with their memory and cognition, alzheimer's being one cause. She has told me that she thinks they should all die and it doesn't make sense to keep them alive with 24/7 care. Yet she of course still does the job (cleans them, feeds them, rolls them in front of a TV or turns it on in their room, yells into their ear basic socialization because otherwise they can't even hear her due to a loss of hearing...)

We should all be allowed a dignified end and not being able to self terminate with assistance and be reduced to such a state is barbaric

 

[FuneralCry]

Seriously, if someone ended up severely injured from a suicide attempt to the point that they would have to exist with permanent damage, then anybody would have to be insane to see it as being better for the person themselves to keep them alive.

Saving people is all just part of their job, they must see it as wrong to try to keep someone alive who clearly doesn't want to be here but of course they just do what they can to get paid. But I do find it disturbing the view that society has that life must be prolonged at all costs and that suffering is always preferable to suicide. It's incredibly horrific the thought of someone existing with severe permanent damage from a failed attempt, I agree that we all need the option to exit in a reliable way.

 

[ikadasui]

I know of a soldier who got blown to pieces but still alive. Lost his legs, an arm. Penis and testicle. Had a stoma and piss bag. Blind in one eye. Operated on. Survived. Had aftercare. House modified. Pool to exercise. One morning found drowned in his own pool....

I've always wondered if soliders make pacts with each that if so and so happens to me just "put me out" before going into combat zones. I'd never serve, but if by some chance I was in a warzone, I'd not feel comfortable fighting unless I knew that if I got my cock blown off or lost my limbs my brother in arms would just end my misery. That's no life to come back home to on top of all the ptsd and other horrors

 

[SamTam33]

I think a lot of doctors have a hero complex and get satisfaction from defeating death. They're going to keep you alive, but it has nothing to do with the patient.

They're not fighting FOR you, they're fighting AGAINST death. And they want to win.

You're a chart to them. A folder filled with comments about your condition (not unlike the file your dealership keeps about your car and the last time you had an oil change).

Another thing is that every death is a customer lost. You're much more valuable being kept alive and sent for treatment with a psychiatrist, physical therapy multiple times a week, a list of expensive medications to manage the pain, cosmetic surgery to rebuild whatever parts you damaged, etc.

 

[Doom]

no, if you don't have money to pay for your treatment you will die in line at a public hospital. Furthermore, surgeon is one of the professions with the highest number of psychopaths.

 

[bed]

While it may be tempting to believe that most surgeons and doctors genuinely want to save their patients, this is not always the case. In some cases, surgeons and doctors may prioritize their own interests or those of their employers over the well-being of their patients. For example, a doctor may prioritize meeting quotas or avoiding lawsuits over providing the best possible care for a patient. In these cases, the desire to save patients may not be the primary motivation for the medical professional. Additionally, some surgeons and doctors may lack the necessary skills or expertise to effectively treat certain conditions, making it difficult for them to save their patients even if they want to. Therefore, it is not accurate to assume that most surgeons and doctors genuinely want to save all of their patients.

 

[Ta555]

I thought about it and can't answer your question with a yes or no. But I do strongly feel that doctors are only interested and empathetic when you have a 'textbook' case of something. If you come in with symptoms they've never heard of or are too 'complex' and can't be diagnosed with a simple blood test or scan they just lose interest.

As for your example of a gunshot suicide victim...actually I've been thinking about this sort of thing and unfortunately the Hippocratic oath has become completely twisted in meaning now with our advances in technology. Whereas in the past it was about not doing harm, it's now become synonymous with 'keep patient alive [ie breathing] at all costs!' Quality of life never enters the picture anymore, only quantity counts and it's disgusting.