triage in health care
By onesiobhan
@onesiobhan (1327)
Canada
December 16, 2006 5:08pm CST
Triage was a term first coined to describe medical treatment during battle. Treatment went first of all to the severely wounded who had a high chance of survival, then to the ones who received only minor injuries, then to the ones who were likely to die no matter what you did.
Modern medical treatment is expensive, and as we develop more sophisticated techniques the cost continues to rise. Right now we treat everybody as having equal rights to medical care. But taxpayers are already starting to grumble about the high cost of supporting health care. Are we going to reach a point where people start to think we shouldn't treat those who are least likely to benefit from it so that the funds can be spent on those more likely to survive?
Are we going to have to decide whether or not to try to save a premature infant who is likely to die anyway because people no longer want to pay for it? How about organ transplants on newborns who might survive and additional two years? Or hip replacements and pacemakers in people in their 90's? How far away are we from triage in medical care?
2 people like this
7 responses
@Idlewild (6090)
• United States
17 Dec 06
I'd say there already is triage today, because people who don't have health insurance, or don't have enough, have to forego treatments that they can't afford.
A person with diabetes who can't afford insulin or other medications will be more likely to develop complications and die. Someone who gets bad advice from their HMO doctor may not be allowed to get a second opionion from another objective dr., etc.
1 person likes this
@paul8675 (750)
• Australia
17 Dec 06
I am always fascinated when I have the misfortune to be in casualty either as a participant or a supporter. I watch the triage nurses handling impossible situations. Everyone thinks that their injuries/illnesses should place them high up, but the reality is usually 5 hours +, mainly due to lack of staff. We really should expand the available staff in casualties.
1 person likes this
@wyrdsister (584)
• Canada
17 Dec 06
I, too, am concerned about this trend in Canada towards fee-based medical services. All you need to do is look to the US and other countries without socialized medical care to see what it will look like.
Now, I already think Canada has a multi-tiered health-care system - there are already SO many medical treatments and procedures that are not covered by Medicare. In order to get decent treatment you do need supplimental medical insurance.
Personally, I think the first step to improving Medicare in Canada is to get rid of the neo-Conservative government that is now in power (it's a minority government, but it's still the official ruling party). Their economic beliefs include privatizing _everything_, including all of Canada's "sacred cows" (e.g. Medicare, social programs, etc). They need to be ousted before any change for the better can actually happen.
And that's my political rant for the day. ;)
~Wyrdsister
@faelady (161)
• Canada
18 Dec 06
I think we do have triage in medical care (in Canada).
The only reason why I say this is because my doctor once told me that the only benefit to getting the flu shot was that if you did, you'd be put into triage. If you didn't, they'd let you wait.
1 person likes this
@birthlady (5609)
• United States
17 Dec 06
Tissue transplants and high tech medical advances are not triage. I was an EMT working triage in my local hospital ER. Triage is the philosophy in emergency medical management that "worst goes first" to receive medical care. Funds are already spent on those thought most likely to survive: look at tissue and organ transplant waiting lists...however, I think that's a different topic.
