just because of a living centre's policy.
Refusal to Give CPR to Elderly Woman Probed by Police
This is definitely one for the ethicists, but in my mind, unless you know someone has a Do Not Resuscitate order, no matter what kind of facility you are in, if you are trained, you should help, and if you're not trained, you can follow a 911 dispatcher's directions, and policy be damned. Granted, the chances of the elderly lady living were very slim, but to stand by and refuse to help, calmly quoting policy? That's pretty cold. Also, this story says that it wasn't a nurse who was on the line, as was first reported, but in the 911 call I heard, the woman identified herself as a nurse. So I wonder where the confusion on that lies. Anyway, I think some policies are going to be reviewed, not only there but around the country, for these independent living centres. I'm sure these policies are some way to dodge liability, but I don't see how refusing to help does that. If anything, it makes a facility more culpable of death.
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