LO>   CYA is the name of the game in the medical field.
LO>   If EMT's are allowed to initiate IV access, why not begin an IV of
LO>Lactated Ringer's ?
Lou, what a sad commentary, all the more so because it is becoming more 
and more true everyday. I always thought that the name of the game was 
doing the right thing for the patient. CYA is a matter of doing the 
right thing for yourself at the best, and doing the right thing for risk 
management at worst. The result is much unneccesary "treatment" of 
patients. I imported a version of the Hippocratic Oath, this one from 
the 1996 Microsoft Encarta, for your reference. As often, and as hard as 
I looked, I saw no reference to CYA. If CYA is doing your best for the 
patient, then it is good. If all it means is doing what you think you 
HAVE to do to be immune from lawsuit, then a lot of bad medicine will be 
practiced. 
Please note: Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and not 
of any organization that he might belong to. And they are just opinions 
anyway, so there! 10/25/96 @ 6:20PM
Gary
 
One version, approved by the American Medical Association, is as 
follows:
You do solemnly swear, each by whatever he or she holds most sacred
That you will be loyal to the Profession of Medicine and just and 
generous to its members
That you will lead your lives and practice your art in uprightness and 
honor
That into whatsoever house you shall enter, it shall be for the good of 
the sick to the utmost of your power, your holding yourselves far aloof 
from wrong, from corruption, from the tempting of others to vice
That you will exercise your art solely for the cure of your patients, 
and will give no drug, perform no operation, for a criminal purpose, 
even if solicited, far less suggest it
That whatsoever you shall see or hear of the lives of men or women which 
is not fitting to be spoken, you will keep inviolably secret
These things do you swear. Let each bow the head in sign of acquiescence
And now, if you will be true to this, your oath, may prosperity and good 
repute be ever yours; the opposite, if you shall prove yourselves 
forsworn.
"Hippocratic Oath," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-
1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (c) Funk & Wagnalls 
Corporation. All rights reserved.
þ CMPQwk 1.42 129 þThe gene pool has no lifeguard
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