If you were a doctor, what would you do?

Question

Situational Question #1
You are a rich man, being chauffer driven in a brand new limousine to an open house attended by members of the society of importance. You are traveling along a deserted road when you witness a hit and run. The motorcyclist, remains motionless on the ground. Nobody is around to help. What will you do and why?

Situational Question #2
You are a doctor traveling in an airplane on a long distance journey. Without warning, an elderly passenger experiences a heart attack and falls on the ground. As the only doctor on board, you are compelled to do something. The pilot consults you with his only two available options. Would you take a two hour flight to the nearest airport for medical help under torrid weather or would you take a smooth but long 10 hour flight to the nearest airport?

Answer 1

#1- Find a bar and tell the story of how you found a motorcycle dirt cheap.

#2- Have the guy dragged back to coach. he shouldn't have been flying in the first place. Order a Jack and coke.

Answer 2

There seems to be some confused information here. You start by saying "If you were a doctor...", so in the first situation, are you assuming that the rich man is also a doctor? If so, I would have the chauffeur call 911 and then the police about the hit-and-run driver, and would assist the man until help arrives. If not, I would do the same, but to the limit of my abilities, since I would have less ability to be of use.

In the second situation, there are a few problems. First, you say that the doctor is obligated to help. That actually is not legally (and some would argue morally) true, and it is a dilemma which doctors face on a regular basis. Airline personnel don't know that the passengers are doctors, so the first question always is, should they identify themselves when a doctor is called for, or not? Assuming they choose to do so, they can tell the pilot what the man's condition is, and what the potential effect of a delay would be. I can't imagine that a 10-hour flight would be a good idea under any circumstances following a heart attack, but this is where the next problem comes in. You say the other choice is a two-hour flight under "torrid" weather. Since the word torrid just means very hot, I am not aware of any way in which this would affect the flight, and I would certainly recommend the two-hour option! I would guess, however, that you mean something other than torrid, like "violently stormy", for example. In that case, the pilot, who is the expert on flight conditions (not the doctor), would have to decide if it were safe to fly, because you can't put a whole plane full of passengers at serious risk in order to improve the chances of one. It is sad when that happens, but the pilot has to make a decision which would likely save the greatest number of passengers.

Answer 3

Question#1: Of Course I would tell my driver to stop and call for help via mobile or other communication system. Further I would try to help the motorcyclist with my first aid skills. After the paramedics arrived I would then proceed to the house. Of course unfortunately it's not the best to arrive late but at least I would have an proper excuse.

Question#2: This is a quite difficult and essential decision so If I were the doc and the two hour flight with such terrible weather would endanger the save arrival at the airport I would have to say and act after the proverb "Iactura paucorum servat multos" - Sacrifice the few in order to save the numerous others. Of course when the weather would be at least bearable with "only" turbulence I would consider flying to the nearer airport would be the best.

Answer 4

#1. I would stop, call 9-1-1, and assist in any way I could until help arrived. That is the right thing to do. I would hope anyone would do the same thing for me. If there was no car-phone or cell phone, I would stay and send the driver of the limo off for help.

#2. As a doctor I would do my best to determine how severe the heart attack was (many can go for hours untreated and still recover). But seeing as I am a doctor and not a pilot, I cannot determine how to fly the plane. I would suggest landing the plan as safely and soon as possible, while giving whatever medical attention I could to the man. It would be up to the pilot to determine the best course of action. No pilot will risk crashing a plane to save one person, no matter what I tell him, right?

Answer 5

I would definitely help the first guy, even if I wasn't a doctor. That's a no-brainer.

In the second situation, I would refuse to make a decision that should be made by the pilot. I would give the information I knew ie, how long the person had to live, but it would be up to the pilot to decide if the weather was too dangerous to risk the shorter flight.

Answer 6

Sit 1. I'd stop, call 911 and help the guy best I can, Why, it's the right thing to do, and there will be alot of other social events. Sit 2, I'd do whats needed, again it's the right thing to do.