Moral Compass

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DEFINING MOMENT

In 2009, my father was faced with a cancer diagnosis that was already in its fourth stage and aggressively spreading. My father was fully cognizant but unaware of his cancer diagnosis. According to my brothers’ assessment of the situation, my father was not ready to face his imminent death and knowing would send him into a panic. Out of compassion, they protected him from this news. Everyone agreed to nominate my eldest brother as the medical power of attorney and he signed the POLST form to indicate that my father no longer wanted to receive life-sustaining treatments in the case of a medical emergency. I agreed that medical intervention was futile for him at that point, but I struggled with my family’s decision keep him in the dark and bypassed his right to informed consent.

REFLECTION

Today I work a Clinical Quality Manager at a hospice agency. In hindsight, I came to terms with my families’ decision and realized my shallow knowledge of my own culture. I suspect that deep down, my father knew his diagnosis all along but preferred the indirect approach to handling emotional goodbyes with his loved one. This scenario happens repeatedly with many of our Vietnamese hospice patients and their families who also opted for nondisclosure for the exact same reason. Serving the diverse population of Northern California, I learned that as a business leader, I have to make a conscious effort to understand morality through different cultural perspectives.

REFERENCES

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