Duff R S
Pediatrics. 1979 Jul;64(1):17-23.
Medical technology is usually beneficial in the care of sick or injured persons, sometimes dramatically so. However, since it is often intrusive, occasionally cruel, sometimes of little or no value, and almost always expensive, its use must be assessed critically, particularly in ICUs. Guidelines for doing this are proposed. To ensure the most caring approach to patient care and family support, the values and autonomy of patients and their families, one by one, are emphasized in all decision making and the roles of nurses and social workers as well as those of physicians are considered central. If these guidelines are used, many, perhaps most, of the ethical and legal issues and the problems of human relationships in ICUs will be resolved.
医疗技术通常有利于照顾生病或受伤的人，有时效果显著。然而，由于它常常具有侵入性，偶尔很残忍，有时价值不大或毫无价值，而且几乎总是成本高昂，因此必须对其使用进行严格评估，尤其是在重症监护病房。本文提出了进行评估的指导方针。为确保采取最体贴的方式照顾患者并给予家属支持，在所有决策中都要逐一强调患者及其家属的价值观和自主权，并且护士、社会工作者以及医生的角色都被视为核心。如果采用这些指导方针，重症监护病房中的许多（或许是大多数）伦理和法律问题以及人际关系问题都将得到解决。
