Daniel Hauser rejecting Chemotherapy: Parental Medical Negligence

After following up with the headlines for consecutive days, I have to say that one of the most alarming cases that I found very interesting yet worrisome is Daniel Hauser’s mother refusing chemotherapy for her son. To begin, let me briefly give you a recap of the headline. Daniel Hauser is a 13 year old boy from Minnesota who has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Around the first week of May, oncologists have claimed that, “given his state and type of tumor, he could normally expect at least an 85% chance of surviving and perhaps even greater than 90%... without therapy he is certain to die of his disease, barring a rare spontaneous remission” (Orac, 2009).

Daniel’s mother, Colleen Hauser, has refused chemotherapy treatment for her son. The Hauser’s have been taken to trial. Written in a 58-page ruling, Brown County District Judge John Rodenberg has issued an arrest warrant for Colleen due to the fact that Daniel has been medically neglected when there is a clear cure for his illness. Judge Rodenberg has stated that Daniel can remain in the custody of his parents, Colleen and Anthony Hauser, if they get an updated x-ray and select an oncologist for him by May 19th.

When headlines blew up about Daniel and Colleen’s disappearance, my interest towards this case immediately increased. Days after their run, Daniel and Colleen did voluntarily return back to their home. They did after all decide to follow the court order. Daniel’s parents initially decided to withdraw their son from treatment after he had attended one round of chemotherapy session. The parents claimed that the side effects were too strong and devastating. The Hauser’s wanted to find another treatment plan for the remedy of their son’s illness (Harkness, 2009). I personally believe that it is outrageous for the parents to even considering finding a treatment plan that consists of herbal supplements, vitamins, and ionized water, when oncologists are providing a substantial amount of medical evidence claiming that the chemotherapy can indeed prove a 90 percent success rate!

Ethical values do come into the picture as the public attempts to rationalize Daniel’s parents’ actions. Negligence is presented as the parents allege that medical alternatives should be sought due to their religious beliefs (Dailey, 2009). As the x-rays report, the tumor has grown since the first time his parents chose to disregard and forgo chemotherapy. I strongly believe that Child Support Services and the Minnesota Legislature have taken the proper steps towards bringing this case into the court’s hands. In Judge Rodenburg’s ruling, he indicated that the “state’s interest in protecting the child overrides the constitutional right to freedom of religious expression and parent’s right to direct a child’s upbringing” (CBS Broadcasting, 2009).

This case continues to be very controversial and it captivates my attention as the state attempts to intervene the Hauser’s method of upbringing their 13 year old son with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The public, the health care system, numerous states, and the Nation itself have different opinions about this headline story. What makes the Hauser’s case even more notorious are the ongoing debates about whether the government should have the right to intervene and have the judicial system protect Daniel from medical negligence.

Currently, the judge has ruled the case and ordered Daniel Hauser to undergo his chemotherapy treatment. Colleen has agreed to take her son to the chemotherapy sessions. The oncologist has also agreed to allow other safe alternative treatments to be provided to Daniel in addition to the chemotherapy. It is chaos that this particular situation had to reach the hands of the judicial system. It is hard enough to be a teenager fighting with lymphoma, let alone have parents that are generating so much publicity into this particular case. Daniel truly needs to focus on battling with his cancer and regain his health and strength again.

• REFERENCES:


• CBS Broadcasting. (2009, March 15). Minn. Judge Orders Parents to Treat Son's Cancer. In CBS5. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from http://cbs5.com/national/chemo.therapy.ordered.2.1010515.html


• Dailey, K. (2009, March 19). Parents' Rights, Judges' Rules: in the battle between families and the courts over medical treatment for kids, who has the last word? In Newsweek. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from http://www.newsweek.com/id/198397


• Harkness, K. (2009, May 19). Judge rules family can't refuse chemo for boy. In MSNBC. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30763438/


• Orac. (2009, May 12). Daniel Hauser and his rejection of chemotherapy: Is religion the driving force or just a convenient excuse? In ScienceBlogs. Retrieved May 31, 2009, from http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/05/daniel_hauser_and_the_rejection_of_chemo.php

BLOG #1: What Does Quality Mean to You?

Who determines the amount of quality that one receives? Do we all want quality? Do we all know what quality means? All these questions come about when the term ‘quality’ is mentioned. Just by going into the Marriam-Webster dictionary online, readers can view that there are 8 different definitions for the word ‘quality’ (‘quality’, 2009). To describe quality, an individual must be able to differentiate the category in which the word falls under. For instance, when speaking about quality, the word can be referred to an economic, environmental, social, or a service related problem. Specifically targeting the quality within the health care arena, I believe that quality improvement and management has to be strictly enforced.

I believe and I hope to see that all providers pursue quality as equally important in all sectors of the health care facility. Based on the behaviors and the actions provided by medical personnel, quality can be determined based on the cost and the effectiveness of the services that are provided. Personally, I believe that quality of care is not so much about how long I wait to see a doctor, but instead, the quality of care that I receive from the doctor who treats me. There was a reason why I asked ‘Who determines the amount of quality that one receives?’ A continuous trend can be seen that the higher an individual lies within a social network and class, the more likely they will be seen and treated faster in a hospital visit. This lies within the mere fact that the more money a patient possesses, the better the quality of service they will receive. Unfortunately, this is a very disturbing statement, but it is nothing but reality. The statement has been made in numerous books, such as in Money Driven Medicine written by Maggie Mahar and in Your Money of Your Life: strong medicine for America’s Health Care System written by David Cutler.

Besides the wait time period, the medical depth of the medical diagnoses provided also determines the quality of service that a patient is receiving. For the most part, doctors speak in medical terms because of their advanced level of knowledge that they have with certain medical conditions. A health care provider that offers outstanding quality of care would take the time to have medical personnel, perhaps not the doctors themselves due to their tight schedules, explain what type of treatments, medications, and services the patient’s medical condition entails.

In a clinical setting, quality is measured based on statistics and figures retrieved on overall accidents, injuries, mortality rates, among other analysis (Beckford, 2002). To achieve the quality standards that a health care provider desires can be both time consuming and expensive. Nonetheless, ensuring consumers and patients the health care services that an individual deserves will be very rewarding. The government, major affiliations, and other medical corporations should provide incentives and a greater sense of encouragement for the health care system to constantly strive to improve the quality of care provided to individuals and families.

The attempt to improve quality of care should benefit not only the patients, but it should also promote the utmost good faith of health care providers. When medical personnel take their time towards providing efficient and effective services, they are also acknowledging their patients by being considerate, attentive, responsive, and most importantly, supportive. Quality of care, as described in The Healthcare Quality Book, illustrates the six aims and dimensions in which the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has established to improve quality of care. The six aims are the following: safe, effective, efficient, timely, patient centered, and equitable (Joshi, Nash, and Ransom, 2008).

It is essential for health care facilities to minimize the number of minor and crucial errors conducted within the medical field. Ultimately, quality of care should aim towards completely eliminating all forms of communication barriers. Patients want to know that they are the center of the attention when they are being treated. I also believe that it is very important for individuals going into hospitals to see that doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel can hold a good relationship with one another. In return, quality of service for me is also defined as one where the doctor and employees are friendly, welcoming, and want to create a special rapport with their patients to get to know them better. Perhaps if better quality of care was provided, children and other individuals will have less fear towards going to the hospital. This in return will increase the amount of visits that one would pay to go to doctor for their annual check-ups and preventive care services. One can say that the legal justice is blind and that all men and women are created equal. Nevertheless, the U.S. health care system is set up in a way where your health benefits and your social status determines the quality of care that you will receive.

• References:
• Beckford, J. (2002). Quality (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
• Cutler, D. M. (2005). Your Money or Your Life: Strong Medicine for America's Health Care System. New York: Oxford UP.
• Joshi, M. S., Nash, D. B., & Ransom, E. R. (2008). The Healthcare Quality Book: Vision, Strategy, and Tools (2nd ed.) (S. B. Ransom, Ed.). Chicago: Health Administration P.
• Mahar, M. (2006). Money Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much. New York: HarperCollins.
• Quality. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved May 27, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quality.

Welcome to my Blog...

Hello everyone, My name is Antonio Hori and I am an 8 year Navy Veteran. I have gone through two tours to the Middle East. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Health Services Administration and I am currently pursuing my Master's Degree in Engineering Technology. I am short 2 classes for Graduation after this summer. I work at the Orlando Veterans Administration Medical Center as an Intern, working on the facility's policies, SOP's, and on the new patient software system "Vista" which will lead us to the opening of the new Hospital at Lake Nona.

After 2 surgeries and multiple endless appointments at the VA, I have come to realize that the VA is in the need of fresh and innovative ideas and a structural change on how services are truly rendered to our veterans. With that in mind, if I fully recover from my surgery and I am found fit for duty again, I see myself in 5 years as an Air Force Medevac Officer, providing logistics and Aeromedical Evacuation at one of our overseas facilities in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. My second back-up plan would include becoming the new Program Director for the Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom Soldiers Program at the Lake Nona Hospital.

I am definitely very excited to start this new blog and hope to learn a lot throughout this course for the semester!