Tough decisions and advanced directives

I recently had the opportunity to get to know one of our patients here at Texas Health Fort Worth. I came across this patient while spending some time with Carol Scheidel, our program manager for clinical ethics. This patient did not have many visitors, so I would make regular visits to learn about their patient journey and give them some company during the stay with us. This patient had an interesting case, but to comply with our good HIPAA policy, I’ll dance around any sensitive information. The patient suffered from a complication that pretty much left them and their family with tough decisions to make. The patient and the family had a difficult time making these tough medical decisions. Decisions on treatment and prolonging life are tough. The physicians and nursing staff did their best to explain the outcomes of the patient's options while respecting their right to decide how they wanted to proceed. It took quite a few days and a second opinion from an additional physician for them to finally make their decision.

This patient’s journey helped me better realize the great teamwork that goes into taking care of our patients. I was able to observe how our physicians, nurses, case managers, ethics representative, chaplains, dietary, and environmental services all worked together to take care of this individual. This coordination helped teach me how important each of these groups are in delivering quality care.

This case also taught me about the importance of filling out and distributing advance directives to our families. By filling out advance directives, we give our families and care providers the necessary information they need to make medical decisions based on our wishes. To receive a copy of an advance directive booklet that you can complete, please email carolscheidel@texashealth.org.

- Scott Spencer
Administrative Resident