Supreme Court of Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada in an Ontario case (Cuthertbertson v. Rasoul October18 2013) said that consent to refuse treament had to be approved by the patient.  A DNR is a refusal for treatment but it seems in BC physicians can override this which is illogical and now unlawful.  Why have a DNR if a doctor can overrule it anytime he wants and he doesn't even have to tell you. There is something terribly terribly wrong.  How scarey: you go to a hospital thinking you are full code and a doctor behind your back decides you are not worth $saving and that is the end of it. He decides that you have no quality of life.  There is something terribly wrong. In this day and age who trusts doctors least of all one doctor.

This past time when Randy was admitted to Emerg at VGH when talking to the social worker she only wanted to know whether or not Randy had a quality of life.  What business is that of hers or even of an emergency room doctor.

 A patient has the right to change his mind as to treatment.  I have yet to know of an instance that a patient is asked if he has a DNR that if he wanted it changed to FULL CODE when he is faced with the possiblity that a FULL CODE will save his life.  Before ribs are broken a lot of intervention can happen.Once you are DNRed you are triaged to a do not treat unless you have nothing else to do.  Even with a Full Code, the doctors can decide to do a slow code which will kill.



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