To prepare, hospitals should designate a triage team with the Godlike task of deciding who will and who won't get lifesaving care, the task force wrote. Those out of luck are the people at high risk of death and a slim chance of long-term survival. But the recommendations get much more specific, and include:
- People older than 85.
- Those with severe trauma, which could include critical injuries from car crashes and shootings.
- Severely burned patients older than 60.
- Those with severe mental impairment, which could include advanced Alzheimer's disease.
- Those with a severe chronic disease, such as advanced heart failure, lung disease or poorly controlled diabetes.
An interesting article, even if it is necessarily pragmatic. Still, not one that would enthuse me if I were a citizen still in our workforce but with a chronic illness, like Multiple Sclerosis, or Cystic Fibrosis, or other 'hidden diseases'. Decide for yourself.
8/11/08 Footnote: Seems the underlying article is no longer there. Here is another of similar quality.
4/27/08 Update: Located the original article. Updated header link.
2 comments:
Pandemics are suspect in their origins and in my opinion, cause a spike in the sale of vaccines that are more loaded with toxins than the actual illness or disease they are designed to treat.
As for Hospital Emergency Rooms, where I live they are reminiscent of a scene from "Cheers", but without the booze and without the humor. Aside from the real cases of trauma, too many others come because they're bored, lonely, want to chat with other people, or who have babies that cry. Most times, the Emergency Room injuries and illnesses are less apparent than the more obvious needs of the lonely and emotionally injured to seek company and sympathy at any cost.
Sickness is a business. It keeps the economy going and employs the countless many. We don't take good care of ourselves. W get sick, seek out medical care and the help of doctors et al. They sell us drugs and make profits for their bosses at the Pharmaceutical Companies. The drugs make us sicker and then we need new drugs to handle the side effects of the first drug. And so begins the slippery slope of subscribing to a system that is inappropriately named "The Health Care System".
While I'm not sure I disagree with your comments about vaccines (in general), I am not sure I follow your observation about Pandemics being suspect in origin.
A pandemic occurs over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population. While this could be the product of a worldwide vaccine program, in most cases, like malaria and the like, unless the vaccine is using a live virus, it seems unlikely to be the source of a true pandemic outbreak.
I think the author of the article was simply addressing the standards for handling a pandemic outbreak, rather than any particular form of it. -- JMS
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