You Have Responded to a Physician's Office for a Terminal

question 53

Multiple Choice

You have responded to a physician's office for a terminal cancer patient in cardiac arrest. The physician says, "This is a chemical code only. Just give the meds, but don't intubate or do CPR." Which of the following should you do?

• A) Tell the physician you are bound to treat the patient according to protocol. If the physician would like you to do something different, she must take complete responsibility for patient care.
• B) Comply with her orders on the scene to avoid a confrontation, but initiate appropriate care once you are in the back of the ambulance.
• C) Tell the physician you cannot comply with her orders under any circumstances, and then file a report with the state medical licensing board about her negligence in this case.
• D) Because this is the patient's personal physician, you must comply with her orders.