Monday, September 27, 2010

A Crucial Conversation That Can Change Your Life: See This New Film On YouTube

In health care today, it's too easy to fall into the treatment trap.  This is what happend to twenty-two year old Michael Skolnik of Colorado. 

After suffering a seizure, a doctor recommended that Michael have a type of brain surgery that is a high-risk procedure.  Michael was asked to consent to the surgery while he was under the influence of powerful medications prescribed by his doctor after the seizure.  Michael's parents, Patty and David Skolnik, were not included in the conversation.  Less-invasive treatment options were not discussed;  neither were the risks and benefits.  The doctor did not mention that a nearby hospital was better equipped to perform the surgery than the hospital where the operation was eventually performed.

Click on this link to see a five-minute film clip on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CchN53SqzyI&feature=related. You'll learn about the importance of a crucial conversation that may change your life someday. 

This riveting film was developed by two physicians who are leaders in patient safety, Dr. David Mayer and Dr. Tim McDonald, from the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago.  It will premiere in Chicago on October 28, 2010.

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