Learn how one woman managed to change resuscitation protocols for emergency responders to decrease the incidence of unwanted CPR.
My guest Fran Myers is a healthcare consultant and the founder of the Center for Advance Care Planning. She will share how she investigated protocols for CPR that guide EMS first responders and discovered that they didn’t align with the statutes of the state of Colorado. Her success in changing the protocols is a story that will hopefully inspire people in other states to take up the same work to ensure that patients receive the care they want at the end of life. Read more about Fran’s work at her website:
http://centerforadvancecareplanning.org
Learn about the Advance Directives Portfolio here.
This interview includes:
- What the public misperceives about CPR and where that mistaken idea comes from
- Many people still receive unwanted CPR at the time of death in hospitals and nursing homes
- Why paperwork is often disregarded by first responders in the field during a medical crisis
- How EMS protocols foster the provision of CPR as a default treatment regardless of the wishes of patients and family members
- How Fran went about getting the protocols changed in Colorado to allow first responders to withhold CPR when appropriate
- Advice for people in other states who want to change the protocols in their area
- How to access the Advance Directive Portfolio for your state of residence
We never say much as we frantically try to save the life we know we can’t save or perhaps silently hope we don’t save. When it’s finally over and the last heart beat blips across the screen and we survey the clutter of bloody gloves, wrappers, masks and needles that now litter the room, you may catch a glimpse as we bow our heads in shame, fearful perhaps that someday we may have to stand in front of God as he looks down upon us and says, “what in the hell were you thinking?” – Dr. Louis Profeta – Emergency Room Physician
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Fran’s website
- Advance Directive Portfolio
- Essay by Dr. Louis Profeta: I Know You Love Me–Now Let Me Die
- Study from King County WA on withholding CPR
- Art of Dying Author Series with Karen Wyatt MD – September 6, 2019 – Open Center, NYC
- Workshop: Earth Lessons for the Soul – September 7, 2019 – Open Center, NYC
- Beautiful Dying Expo – November 2-3, 2019, San Diego CA
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it)
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