Dr Gillian R. Schmitz joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Dr Robert W. Strauss: “What Should Students and Trainees Be Taught About Turfing and Where Patients Belong?”
Makenzie Doubek joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Scott J. Schweikart: “Why Should Physicians Care About What Law Says About Turfing and Dumping Patients?”
Treatment decisions in high-risk situations require a dynamic relationship between doctor and patient in which patient preferences and clinician recommendations contribute equally in shaping a final treatment decision.
Turfing is a colloquialism that refers to what clinicians do to patients whose needs do not fit neatly and tidily into typical clinical placement protocols.
AMA J Ethics. 2023;25(12):E885-891. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2023.885.
The physician must help patients understand that all options—further testing, surgery, no action—carry risks and benefits. Disclosing the statistical probability of injury and other possible outcomes might help, but it can also hinder the process.
After assessing the reasons for a patient’s unrealistic hopefulness in the face of clear understanding, a clinician may believe that significant harm will come to the patient if he or she does not acknowledge the seriousness of the illness.