Hospital progress最新文献

The lectionary for the Roman Catholic Rite for the Anointing of the Sick provides insight into the nature and theology of illness which can be helpful not only for the person who is ill but also for the community that serves that person and for people involved in medical or pastoral care of the sick. The readings address two major questions: Why is there suffering? What is the purpose of chronic illness and of sickness unto death? Responses to these questions involve perception of illness as part of the mystery of iniquity (although there is no simple cause-and-effect relationship between particular sins and a person's illness) and understanding of God's power over sickness. The sick person's configuration to the suffering Christ also plays a part in this mystery. The paradoxical mystery of illness, which cannot be understood outside the context of faith, is reflected in the richly nuanced readings. To avoid a simplistic or incomprehensible approach to the problem, pastoral sensitivity to the sick person's spiritual, physical, and emotional condition is required in the selection of readings to be used on a particular occasion.

As hospitals search for means of financing renovation during the next decade, physicians will represent a source of capital through tax-shelter financing. Limited partnerships, condominiums , and joint ventures in acquiring medical equipment or syndicating existing facilities are among the most promising investment vehicles for taking advantage of tax benefits that normally do not apply to nonprofit institutions. In a hospital-physician limited partnership, tax deductions are passed through to the partners, of which there are two kinds: general partners and limited partners. Income (or loss) and tax credits from the entire venture can be divided among the partners and reflected on an individual limited partner's tax return. Rather than shouldering the whole cost of renovating a medical office building, thereby losing the potential tax credit, a hospital could carry out the renovation through a limited partnership with physicians. This would reduce the hospital's capital costs and debt requirements, maintain its credit, and enable it to take advantage of the depreciation deduction. In a condominium venture, the individual physician actually owns the office within which he or she works. As with the limited partnership, the hospital will want to restrict physicians' ability to dispose of their ownership interests.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The need for patient consent to medical treatment derives from the idea that the patient is morally obligated to take ordinary means to preserve his or her life. The physician has only that right over the patient which the patient gives him. To ensure that patient treatment decisions are responsible, consent must be both free and informed. Free consent generally implies that the patient is under no pressure to choose a particular course of action. Informed consent suggests that the physician has a duty to give the patient sufficient information about a proposed procedure's significant risks and benefits. The patient need not receive comprehensive knowledge of the treatment, however, since overdisclosure can interfere with the freedom to decide by playing on patient fears. Though some patients simply disregard treatment information or rely on other factors in their decision making, physicians should not abandon attempts to attain patient understanding. They must develop communication skills and exercise patience in their efforts to explain treatments and obtain consent. Proxies and patient advocates also may be requested, and physicians may consult with their colleagues to guarantee that the patient's best interests are met.