APRIL/MAY 2001
HEALTH-CARE DILEMMAS GET ATTENTION
By Sandy Johnson
School of Nursing
Jonas Salk virtually eliminated polio in the 1950s with a vaccine and gave a massive generation - the largest to date -the lasting impression that research would prevent, cure or overcome all the obstacles to good health.
As research increasingly solves health problems, ethical dilemmas for families multiply.
In an effort to help answer some of the questions the FSU School of Nursing is bringing experts in health-care clinical ethics to a conference May 31 and June 1 at FSU's Turnbull Center.
Ethical questions are as varied as health care itself. For example: When should a man with Alzheimer's disease be expected to leave home for a long-term-care facility? Who should make that decision? Stephen G. Post of the Biomedical Ethics School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, author of "The Moral Challenge of Alzheimer's Disease: Ethical Issues from Diagnosis to Dying," will present his research.
The exploding cost of treatment possibilities that come from research must be addressed. Daniel Callahan of the Hastings Institute will discuss "Medical Progress and Cost of Health Care: How Much Can We Afford?"
Someone makes the ultimate decision in health care for each person. Who? The patient? A family member? A physician? A nurse? A social worker? A committee of ethics?
Who decides if a family can provide at-home care for someone on a ventilator? There is often a split decision, and strife within the health-care community as well as within families. Diann Uustal of the Educational Re-sources in Health Care Inc. will discuss "The Power of One: Values and Ethics in Healing Relationships and Health Care."
Terri Branning will present the view of a managed-care consultant.
The conference is recommended for physicians, nurses, administrators, social workers, ethics consultants and anyone with a strong interest in the subject.
For details call the School of Nursing at 850 -644-0673.
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