ne problem with medicine today, is that it is too good. People live longer than ever before, and many patients are able to recover from deadly illnesses the world knew nothing about when my grandparents were children. Doctors can keep people alive in ways once thought impossible.
We can sustain a pumping heart and fill lungs with air indefinitely. Kidney function can now be replaced by humming dialysis carts and stomachs fed through surgically implanted tubes. In the intensive care unit, this process is carried on with extreme monotony, indifferent to whether the patient is actually able to think, feel, or protest. There comes a time for every person when his or her identity is gone, and the quality of life should be valued more than the mere presence of it.
This is a common viewpoint for many in the health care community, but it seems to be in opposition to the beliefs held by the general public. Families are suddenly forced to make weighty decisions for loved ones, often erring on the side of caution. "Do everything you can for him, Doc" is a phrase with far-reaching implications. Doctors, nurses and others who devote their lives to taking care of very sick patients see it happen all the time: A patient's time has come, but the family just can't let go.
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