170 CONJOINED TWINS – WHO LIVES? WHO DIES? WHO DECIDES?

Who decides who decides?

what counts as wise? Second, does the public, after considerable thought, think that our society has a moral obligation to pursue lines of research which may benefit present and future generations? I say “moral obligation” because it is sometimes implied by advocates of recombinant D N A research that science would be guilty of a sin of omission if it did not continue and promote research so pr...

Fetal survival--who decides?

In this paper Iain McFadyen highlights a modern ethical dilemma. In each case the fetus was recognised to be in danger, but in both cases the advice given in the fetal interest was refused by the mothers. Both the mother and the physician were concerned for the fetus, but their differing actions and reasons pose the dilemma--who decides?

Who dies from hernia?

Over 700 deaths in England and Wales each year are ascribed to an underlying cause of abdominal hernia, considerably more than for cholelithiasis, pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease. Abdominal hernias are considered amenable to surgical intervention, therefore hernia mortality is regarded as largely avoidable. None the less substantial variations in mortality exist at district level wit...

Dying among older adults in Switzerland: who dies in hospital, who dies in a nursing home?

BACKGROUND Institutional deaths (hospitals and nursing homes) are an important issue because they are often at odds with patient preference and associated with high healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to examine deaths in institutions and the role of individual, regional, and healthcare supply characteristics in explaining variation across Swiss Hospital Service Areas (HSAs). METHODS ...

Diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes: who decides?