Mark,
a 43-year-old computer programmer, has been in and out of remission
for a rare form of leukemia for the past 5 years. Mark has a wife
and 3-year-old daughter, and his parents live close by. His treatment
regime has been very difficult and painful. When his disease recently
worsened, his oncologist recommended a new and experimental treatment,
but Mark has decided against treatment. He has discussed this at
length with his wife and his clergyman - and, although saddened,
they respect his wishes. You and your colleagues are meeting with
Mark and his parents to discuss his decision. As you will see, there
is a great deal of disagreement among the members of the healthcare
team.
Well,
Mark, I’m sure you will understand why I have difficulty with
your decision. I don’t think you have thought this through.
The new treatment we are recommending has a lot of promise, although
we can’t be sure it will help in your case. We have to keep
on trying to win this war. Do you want me to explain what we plan
to do again?